Photographing  the 
Invisible 

Practical  Studies  in 
Spirit  Photography,  Spirit  Portraiture , 
and  other  Rare  but  Allied  Phenomena 


^  Jambs  Coatbs 


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s*A(WV4*19 YCHOLCXJY  LA«ORAT«RY 
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https://archive.org/details/photographinginv01coat 


Photographing  th 
Invisible 


Practical  Studies  in 

Spirit  Photography,  Spirit  Portraiture, 
and  other  Rare  but  Allied  Phenomena 


By 

James  Coates,  Ph.D.,  F.A.S. 

Author  of 

“Human  Magnetism,”  “Seeing  the  Invisible,” 
“Self-Reliance,”  etc.,  etc.,  etc. 


fVITH  90  PHOTOGRAPHS 


19  I  I 

Published  by 

ADVANCED  THOUGHT  PUBLISHING  CO., 
Masonic  Temple,  Chicago,  III. 


LONDON 

L.  N.  FOWLER  &  CO. 

7  Imperial  Arcade,  Ludgate  Circus,  E.  C. 


Copyright  1911  by 

THE  ADVANCED  THOUGHT  PUBLISHING  CO. 

In  The  United  States  of  America 


Entered  at  Stationer’s  Hall 
by 

L.  N.  FOWLER  &  CO. 


sill  Rights  Reserved 


PREFACE 


As  a  further  contribution  to  Psychic  Science,  I 
have  written  this  work  —  which  represents  some  of 
the  results  of  my  inquiries  and  personal  research. 
In  a  former  book,  “Seeing  the  Invisible, ”  which  His 
late  Majesty  King  Edward  was  pleased  to  accept,  1 
touched — among  other  studies — upon  Thought  and 
Spirit  Photography. 

Sir  William  Crookes,  0.  M.,  F.  R.  S.  the  distin¬ 
guished  Savant,  commended  the  book  most  favour¬ 
ably  : — 

“It  is  written  in  a  fair  spirit  which  invites  un¬ 
biased  criticism.  The  incidents  related  in  it  and  the 
arguments  put  forward  are  such  as  to  demand  the 
careful  attention  of  thoughtful  men,  and  the  author 
impartially  points  out  some  difficulties  and  discrep¬ 
ancies.  ’  ’ 

In  the  present  work  I  give  a  fuller  and  more  com¬ 
plete  record  of  Spirit  Photography  than  was  at  all 
possible  in  the  ages  of  “Seeing  the  Invisible” — I 
trust  also,  in  a  fair  spirit  which  invites  careful  read¬ 
ing  before  criticism. 

Spirit  photographs,  Spirit  Portraiture  and  Spirit 
iii 


IV 


PREFACE 


Writings  belong  to  the  rarer  phases  of  Psycho-phy¬ 
sics.  They  are  either  produced  by  the  operations  of 
Intelligences  in  the  Invisible — through  appropriate 
media — or  man  possesses  psychic  faculties  and  pow¬ 
ers  which  have  not  yet  received  the  attention  they 
demand. 

Spiritualists  believe  that  Spirits  can  be  photo¬ 
graphed.  Experts — many  of  whom  have  never  inves¬ 
tigated — declare  all  spirit  photographs  fraudulent. 
To  both  my  answer  is: — 

“The  evidence  does  not  support  either  hypothesis 
but  for  the  FACT  of  SPIRIT  PHOTOGRAPHY,  the 
evidence  is  most  conclusive.” 

Many  problems,  puzzles  and  difficulties  met  with  in 
the  course  of  investigations  are  clearly  stated.  I 
have — however — omitted  all  reference  to  the  experi¬ 
ments  of  Dr.  Baraduc  and  the  photographing  of  in¬ 
visible  radiations  from  radio-active  bodies  and  mat¬ 
ters  already  dealt  with  in  “Seeing  the  Invisible.”  I 
have  not  touched  upon  the  discoveries  of  Dr.  W.  J. 
Kilner,  by  which  he  has  been  enabled  to  render  vis¬ 
ible  the  hitherto  invisible  human  auras,  and  their  re¬ 
lation  to  health  and  disease,  as  that  would  carry  me 
beyond  the  scope  of  the  present  work.  And  lastly,  I 
have  not  attempted  to  deal  with  tire  results  of  Dr. 
Ochorowicz’s  experiments  with  his  new  apparatus, 
with  which — it  is  declared — he  can  photograph  spir¬ 
its — without  the  aid  of  a  medium.  The  information 
is  too  late  and  too  meagre  to  be  considered  in  this 


PREFACE 


v 


book.  Notwithstanding  these  limitations,  I  give  a 
fairly  comprehensive  resume  of  the  phenomena  of 
Spirit  Photography. 

In  a  lesser  degree  I  deal  with  Spirit  painted  Por¬ 
traits.  Although  I  have  not  personally  investigated 
these,  from  the  abundant  material  at  my  disposal,  i 
have  arrived  at  certain  deductions,  and  these  I  give. 

Psychography — Spirit  writing — is  briefly  treated, 
and  the  conclusions  reached  are  also  given. 

I  am  indebted  for  some  quotations  to  the  Articles 
by  the  late  Air.  Stainton  Moses,  “M.  A.  Oxon,”  in 
Human  Nature,  Vols.  viii  &  ix,  (James  Burns,  Lon¬ 
don,  1874-5)  ;  Chronicles  of  the  Photographs  of 
Spiritual  Beings  and  Phenomena  Invisible  to  the  Ma¬ 
terial  Eye,  by  Miss  Houghton,  (E.  W.  Allen,  Ave 
Maria  Lane,  London,  1882)  ;  The  Veil  Lifted,  by 
Andrew  Glendinning,  (Whitftiker  &  Co.,  London)  ; 
Borderland,  W.  T.  Stead,  (London  1894-7)  ;  Un¬ 
seen  faces  Photographed,  by  Dr.  H.  A.  Reid,  Los 
Angeles,  Cal.,  U.  S.  A.,  1901,  and  to  other  sources  men¬ 
tioned  in  the  body  of  the  book. 

I  wish  to  express  my  thanks  to  the  editors  of  Light, 
London;  The  Two  Worlds,  Manchester,  England;  The 
Harbinger  of  Light,  Melbourne,  Australia;  to  the 
subscribers  to  the  Wyllie  Fund,  who  enabled  me  to 
experiment  in  Psychic  Photography  under  my  own 
roof,  and  to  the  numerous  correspondents  for  testi¬ 
mony  and  photographs  submitted.  I  have  not  been 
able  to  use  all,  but  have  edited  a  selection  in  order  to 
present  various  phases  of  the  phenomena.  I  now 


VI 


PREFACE 


present  this  work  to  the  consideration  of  all  thought¬ 
ful  persons  interested  in  man ’s  spiritual  nature  and 
the  scientific  aspects  of  modern  psychic  research. 
Glenbeg  House,  James  Coates, 

Rothesay,  Scotland, 

Sept.  1,  1911. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIP.LK 


Preface  .  i 

I  INTRODUCTION  . vii 

I  The  First  Medium  Photographer  .  1 


The  remaikable  photograph  of  Mrs.  Lincoln  and  her  hus¬ 
band,  the  former  president.  Mr.  Moses  A.  Dow  and  psychic 
extra  of  Mabel  Warren.  Mrs.  Emma  Hardinge  Britten  and 
psychic  portrait  of  Beethoven. 

II  Mr.  Hudson’s  Mediumship  .  22 

Mr.  T.  Marth eze,  with  psychic  full-length  figure  of  his 
mother.  Dr.  Alfred  Russel  Wallace  and  spirit  picture  of  his 
mother.  M.  A.  Oxon  and  psychic  portrait  of  a  spirit  form. 

III  Parkes,  Peeves  and  Buguet  .  44 

The  Count  de  Medina  Pomar,  with  psychic  portrait  of  his 
father. 

IV  Mr.  David  Duguid’s  Mediumship  .  Go 

Photograph  of  Mr.  Duguid.  Mr.  Andrew  (ilendinning  and 
Mr.  James  Robertson  and  psychic  portrait  of  “Hafed.”  (Prince 
of  Persia).  Mr.  James  Robertson  and  psychic  portrait  of 
“The  Cyprian  Priestess.”  The  enlarged  psychic  portrait  of 
“The  Cyprian  Priestess."  Mrs.  X.  J.  Anderson  and  Mrs.  An 
drew  (ilendinning  and  the  psychic  portrait  of  Mrs.  Anderson's 
child.  Mrs.  Duguid  and  psychic  portrait  of  “The  Cyprian 
Priestess." 

V  Mr.  R.  Bournell’s  Mediumship .  90 

Mr.  H.  Blackwell  and  psychic  picture  of  his  niece  Louie. 

Mr.  A.  W.  Jones  and  psychic  picture  of  his  father.  Mr.  II 
Blackwell  and  psychic  portrait  of  Professor  ltlackie.  Mi. 
Barnes  and  psychic  picture  of  Empress  Elizabeth  of  Austria. 

W.  T.  Stead  and  psychic  portrait  of  Piet  Botha. 

VI  Mr.  Bourn ei.i.’s  Mediumship — Continued  . 117 

Mr.  Jas.  Roberts!  ti  and  psychic  portrait  of  Mr.  John  I.a 
mont.  Mr.  John  Dewar  and  psychic  portrait  of  his  sistei 
Mrs.  Shaw  and  psychic  picture  of  her  grandmother.  Mr.  John 
Auld  and  psychic  portrait  of  the  author's  father.  Mr.  A 
Mackellar  and  the  psychic  picture  of  his  daughter.  Mr. 
Charles  Davieson  and  psychic  picture  of  his  brother.  Mr.  A.  P. 
Sinnett  and  psychic  picture. 

VII  Some  American  Casks  . Ill 

Mr.  F.  Rice,  Greigsville.  N.  Y..  with  several  spirit  faces. 

Mrs.  Flood  and  psychic  pictures  of  friends.  Dr.  Morrow  and 
psychic  picture  of  a  young  lady.  Mr.  A.  K.  Venning  with 
psychic  portrait.  Chinaman  and  spirit  picture  of  his  son. 
Photograph  of  a  Negress  with  a  number  of  spirit  pictures  ot 
friends. 

Some  American  Cases — Continued  . 164 

Mr.  Ed.  Wyllie  and  psychic  portrait  of  iris  mother.  Hr. 

Cook  and  psychic  picture  of  Flora  Loudon.  Flash-light  of  a 


VIII 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE  PAGE 

materialized  form  and  a  number  of  spirit  faces.  Croup  of 
spirit  children's  faces.  Mr.  Brittlebank  and  psychic  picture  of 
a  former  servant.  Mrs.  Horne  and  psychic  picture  of  a  lady. 

IX  Three  Psychic  Photographs  and  a  Spirit  Mes¬ 
sage  . 188 

Spirit  pictures  received  from  a  letter  and  lock  of  Hair  sent 
by  Mrs.  A.  S.  Hunter.  Madame  L.  Pogosky.  and  Oscar  E. 
Drummond. 

X  Experimentation  with  Mr.  Wyllie  . 205 

Letter  and  hair  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Coates  which  they  sent  to 
Los  Angeles  with  spirit  faces.  Mrs.  Coates  and  psychic  pic¬ 
ture  of  her  grandmother. 

XI  Experimentation  with  Mr.  Wyllie — Continued. 226 

The  Jensen  photograph  with  extras.  The  author  with  psy¬ 
chic  extra,  said  to  be  his  father.  Mrs.  Coates  and  psychic 
portrait  of  her  aunt.  Mr.  John  Auld  and  psychic  picture  of 
Mrs.  Auld.  Mrs.  Coates  and  psychic  picture  of  her  daughter. 

Mr.  J.  J.  Morse  and  psychic  picture  of  Miss  Florence  Morse's 
guide.  Mrs.  Hector  and  psychic  portrait  of  Miss  Armour. 

Mr.  Whiteford  and  psychic  picture  of  a  little  boy.  Mr. 
Whiteford  and  psychic  picture  of  old  woman.  Miss  M.  Mc- 
Callum  and  psychic  picture  of  her  cousin.  Mrs.  Payne  and 
psychic  picture  of  her  cousin. 

XII  Experimentation  with  Mr.  Wyllie — Continued. 260 

Miss  M.  McCallum  and  psychic  portrait  of  Rev.  Mr.  Nicol- 
son.  Mrs.  Shaw  and  psychic  picture  of  Mrs.  Coates’  daugh¬ 
ter.  Mrs.  Grant  and  psychic  portrait  of  her  son.  Mr.  A.  W. 

Orr  and  psychic  portrait  of  his  wife.  Mrs.  Clara  Ashworth 
and  psychic  portrait  of  Miss  Alice  Whittaker.  Mr.  W.  Walker 
and  psychic  portrait  of  Mr.  Alfred  Smedley. 

XIII  Portraits  Painted  by  Invisible  Artists . 292 

Spirit  painting  of  a  little  boy.  of  who  there  was  never  a 
picture  taken.  Spirit-painted  portrait  of  Mrs.  Ella  Leamon- 
Leach.  Spirit -painting  of  the  daughter  of  a  prominent  family. 


XIV  Portraits  Painted  by  Invisible  Artists — Con¬ 
tinued  . 314 

Percipitated  painted  portrait  of  Poyesh  Kanti.  Spirit 
painted,  daughter  of  Dr.  Thurston.  Spirit  painting  of  The 
Temple  of  Light.  Percipitated  painting  of  St.  John.  Spirit 
painting  of  Mrs.  Lee  Baxter. 

XV  PSYCHOGRAPHY  . ..337 

Psychograph  of  Signor  Ricci.  Psychic  picture  obtained 
without  light  or  camera  by  Mr.  Andrew  Glendinning  and  a 
lady.  Psychograph  of  Mrs.  Jones. 

XVI  PSYCHOGRAPHY - CONTINUED  . 356 

Dr.  T.  D'Aute  Hopper  and  three  spirit  extras.  Six  psycho- 
graph  plates  with  messages.  Message  received  by  Mr.  W.  Walker. 

XVII  Concluding  Observations  . 382 

Most  favorable  conditions  for  psychic  photography.  Photo¬ 
graph  of  Elsie  Reynolds  with  many  psychic  extras. 


INTRODUCTION 


The  various  phases  of  psycho-physics  published 
under  the  title  of  this  book  are  so  puzzling;  the 
claims  so  extraordinary.;  the  evidence  so  start¬ 
ling,  and  the  material  at  my  disposal  so  abundant, 
that  I  have  only  produced  a  tithe  of  the  facts  and 
as  many  illustrations  as  space  permits. 

The  major  portion  of  these  pages  is  devoted  to 
Spirit  Photography;  that  subject  calling  for  some 
explanatory  notes  I  think  it  well  to  give  a  few  just 
now. 

I  view  photography  as  applied  to  the  visible,  the 
material  invisible,  and  the  immaterial  invisible  or  the 
psychic. 

The  art  of  Photography  is  of  comparatively  recent 
date.  With  its  history  1  do  not  deal,  except  to  recall 
that  the  discovery  was  made  in  1839,  when  the  pro¬ 
cesses  of  Daguerreotypeing  were  patented  and  Talot’s 
invention  announced.  Since  then  the  science  and  art 
of  photography  have  made  vast  strides,  until  it  has 
now  become  an  art  of  the  highest  utility,  and  widest 
application,  not  even  guessed  at  by  its  usual  patrons. 
For  these  it  is  enough  that  they  get  a  “good  picture, ” 

vii 


INTRODUCTION 


viii 

generally  as  flattering  as  the  photographer’s  skill  can 
supply. 

That  photography  renders  invaluable  aid  to  the 
physician  and  surgeon,  the  chemist  and  student  of 
physics  and  others,  in  the  more  serious  studies  of  Na¬ 
ture’s  problems,  is  very  evident. 

That  it  should  be  applied  in  photographing  the 
Invisible,  the  Unseen  and  the  Unknown,  does  not  oc¬ 
cur  to  the  usual  patron ;  or  if  so,  he  dismisses  it  with 
derision  and  contempt.  Indeed,  it  may  be  said  that 
the  average  photographer  is  not  much  wiser,  since  he 
does  not  concern  himself  with  the  laws  of  photogra¬ 
phy,  the  work  done  by  the  majority  being  confined  to 
visible  objects,  persons  or  things,  and  mainly  per¬ 
formed  in  a  routine  fashion.  When  men  so  trained 
come  to  say  what  is  and  what  is  not  possible  in  pho¬ 
tography,  they  reveal  their  want  of  qualifications  and 
put  themselves  out  of  court  as  experts. 

To  say  that  the  invisible  cannot  be  photographed, 
even  on  the  material  plane,  would  be  to  confess  igno¬ 
rance  of  facts  which  are  commonplace — as,  for  in¬ 
stance,  to  mention  the  application  of  X-Ray  photog¬ 
raphy  to  the  exploration  of  the  muscles,  bones  and 
the  internal  organs.  Astronomical  photography  af¬ 
fords  innumerable  illustrations  of  photographing  the 
invisible.  In  the  foregoing  and  analogous  eases,  the 
photographing  is  that  of  material,  though  invisible, 
objects. 

Space  will  not  admit  of  my  dealing  with  the  re¬ 
markable  application  of  photography  to  Sound,  by 


INTRODUCTION 


IX 


which  the  latter  can  be  secured  on  negatives,  and  re¬ 
produced  by  Photo-phonographic  records.  Surely 
this  is  photographing  the  invisible.  Photography, 
too,  reveals  the  recently  discovered  “N-Rays,”  which 
proceed  from  the  human  organism,  and  which  fluctu¬ 
ate  according  to  oiie’s  state  of  health,  and  mental  ac¬ 
tivities.  These  rays  are  invisible,  but  can  be  demon¬ 
strated  on  a  phosphorescent  screen,  be  photographed, 
and  a  valuable  record  made  of  them.  However, 
important  as  the  application  is,  it  does  not  directly 
concern  us  here,  except  to  lead  us  to  surmise  that 
N-Rays,  i.  e.,  Human  Magnetism,  may  be  operative 
in  Psychic  Photography.  But,  can  apparently  im¬ 
material  (invisible)  objects  be  photographed?  Those 
who  have  investigated  Thought,  and  Psychic  Photog¬ 
raphy  say  Yes;  although  it  is  granted  that  many 
photographers  who  have  not,  say  No.  I  give  some 
facts  and  reasons  for  the  conviction  that  Yes  is  the 
correct  answer. 

So  far,  reference  lias  been  made  to  the  fact  that 
material,  but  invisible,  objects  and  substances  have 
been  photographed.  I  show  that  in  addition  to  in¬ 
visible  objects,  persons — some  of  whom  are  departed , 
and  hence  no  longer  clothed  in  the  vesture  of  the 
flesh,  or  existing  on  the  present  plane  of  sense  percep- 
tion — have  been  photographed.  In  “Seeing  the 
Invisible”  I  dwelt  on  Thought  Photography,  and  out¬ 
lined  Spirit  Photography,  but  in  these  pages  I  pre¬ 
sent  a  greater  variety  of  cases,  supported  by  remark- 


s 


INTRODUCTION 


able  evidence,  including  the  results  of  my  own  ex¬ 
periments. 

The  subject  for  clearness,  is  divided  into  three  nat¬ 
ural  sections : — 

The  Historical-Modern  Spiritualism  made  its  ad¬ 
vent  in  Rochester,  New  York  State,  in  1848,  and  the 
first  spirit  photograph  was  obtained  by  Mumler,  in 
Poston,  U.  S.  A.,  in  1861,  just  thirteen  years  after¬ 
wards.  Chronological  order  is  followed  as  far  as  con¬ 
venient. 

The  Evidence  or  Statements  of  Reputable  Persons 
either  known  to  me  or  known  to  Correspondents  of 
mine. 

The  Results  of  Experimentation  carried  out  in  our 
own  home  with  Mr.  Edward  Wyllie,  Cal.,  IT.  S.  A., 
with  the  Testimony  of  the  Sitters  and  the  Nature  of 
the  Tests  conducted. 

Where  possible  and  permissible,  photo-half-tones 
are  given  in  illustration.  To  simplify  matters,  I  ask 
and  answer  three  questions: — 

(1) .  What  are  spirit  photographs? 

(2) .  What  are  spirit  (painted)  portraits? 

(3) .  What  are  psychographs? 

In  answer  to  the  first  queston,  I  make  the  follow¬ 
ing  citations : 

Of  what  is  called  spirit  photography,  it  is  impos¬ 
sible  to  doubt  that  such  photographs  have  been  hon¬ 
estly  produced  or  obtained  by  Sir  Wm.  Crookes,  Mr. 
Traill  Taylor,  Mr.  Glendinning,  Rev.  Stainton  Moses, 
Madame  d’Esperance,  and  others.  They  are  of  three 
main  classes:  (1).  Portraits  of  living  discarnate 


INTRODUCTION 


xi 


beings  or  spirits;  (2).  Pictures  of  effigies  or  lay  fig¬ 
ures,  often  very  incomplete,  and  not  necessarily  hu¬ 
man-like.  (3).  Reproductions  of  physical  pictures, 
or  other  objects.  (1).  B.  M’Lachlan,  in  the  Journal 
of  the  S.  P.  h.,  Feb.  1900,  p.  185.). 

The  following  may  serve  as  a  rough  classification 
of  what  are  called  spirit  photographs:  (1 )  Portraits 
of  psychical  entities,  not  seen  by  normal  vision.  (2) 
Pictures  of  objects  not  seen  or  thought  of  by  the  sit¬ 
ter  or  by  the  medium  or  operator ;  such  as  flowers, 
words,  crosses,  crowns,  lights,  and  various  emblematic 
objects.  (3)  Pictures  which  have  the  appearance  of 
being  copied  from  statues,  paintings  or  drawings; 
sometimes  the  busts  or  heads  only.  The  flatness  in 
some  photographs  of  this  class  is  supposed  by  persons 
who  have  not  investigated  the  subject  to  be  proof  that 
the  photographs  are  produced  in  a  fraudulent  man¬ 
ner.  (4)  Pictures  of  what  are  called  materialized 
forms,  visible  to  normal  sight.  (5)  Pictures  of  the 
“wraith”  or  “double”  of  persons  still  in  the  body. 
(Mr.  Andrew  Glendinning, — “The  Veil  Lifted,”  pp. 
v.i-vii.) 

To  1,  2,  3,  and  5,  most  attention  is  given.  No.  4, 
while  adequately  testified  to  by  Sir  William  Crookes, 
and  others,  does  not  fall  under  any  section  of  Photo¬ 
graphing  the  Invisible. 

What  are  Spirit-Painted  Portraits?  These  are 
pictures  of  departed  and  living  persons,  painted  in 
the  dark  or  in  the  light  by  Intelligences  in  the  Invis¬ 
ible,  and  not  by  the  hand  of  a  medium  or  other  mortal. 

What  are  Psvchographs?  These  are  portraits  of 
departed  persons,  reproductions,  replicas  and  writ¬ 
ings,  similar  to  what  arc  termed  Spirit  Photographs, 


INTRODUCTION 


xii 

but  which  come  on  the  plate  without  the  use  of  the 
camera ,  and  light,  necessary  in  photographic  pro¬ 
cedure. 

Psychic  Photographs  and  Psychographs  do  not  lend 
themselves  to  artistic  treatment,  retouching  being  out 
of  the  question.  They  are  mostly  inartistic,  doing 
poor  justice  either  to  sitters  or  the  psychic  “extras.” 
Those  taken  by  camera  are  frequently  over-developed 
to  get  the  “extras”  defined,  and  do  not  lend  them¬ 
selves  to  the  making  of  good  half-tones.  There  is  no 
help  for  it ;  I  can  only  give  them  as  they  are. 

In  spite  of  the  sweeping  statement  made  in  a  Lon¬ 
don  paper  that — • 

“Where  experiments  are  carried  out  under  scien¬ 
tific  conditions,  so  as  to  preclude  any  possibility  of 
deception,  spirit  photographs  cannot  be  produced.” 

I  am  convinced  to  the  contrary,  and  these  pages 
contain  the  refutation. 

I  have  selected  the  two  Reports  on  which  the  state¬ 
ment  is  based,  issued  by  a  “Spirit  Photography  Com¬ 
mission,”  for  comment.  A  careful  reading  of  these 
Reports  furnishes  the  astounding  fact  that  no  experi¬ 
ments  of  any  kind — scientific  or  otherivise — were  car¬ 
ried  out  by  this  Commission.  There  was  plenty  of 
theorising,  various  meetings,  much  letter-writing,  and 
quite  a  number  of  psychic  photographs  exhibited. 
The  latter  were  extolled,  defended  on  the  one  side 
and  condemned  and  refuted  on  the  other.  But  there 
was  no  experimental  procedure.  Could  there  be 
greater  folly?  Yet  this  is  loudly  proclaimed  as  re- 


INTRODUCTION 


xiii 

search,  and  on  this  wise  basis  Spirit  Photography  was 
condemned. 

A  Mr.  Marriott  wrote  a  series  of  articles  during 
1910,  in  Pearson’s  Magazine.  They  were  neither 
complimentary  to  Spiritualists  nor  to  the  intelligence 
of  the  readers.  In  them  we  have  a  good  deal  about 
Mr.  Marriott,  with  many  photographs  of  himself  and 
the  cleverest  things  he  could  do  and  did.  In  delight¬ 
ful,  egotistical  fashion,  he  dealt  with  Spirit  Photog¬ 
raphy.  He  “assumes”  and  “suggests,”  but  in  no 
instance  does  he  indicate  a  practical  acquaintance 
with  his  subject.  I  hardly  find  it  necessary  to  deal 
with  the  futility  of  a  person  dominated  by  “fixed 
ideas,”  of  fraud  and  stupidity  in  his  fellow  men,  ap¬ 
proaching  the  study  of  any  subject  in  a  calm,  clear¬ 
headed  and  scientific  spirit.  I  have,  however,  treated 
him  tenderly  and  fairly.  Suppose  I  admit  that  me¬ 
dium-photographers  may  be  guilty  of  methods  that 
are  reprehensible,  such  procedures  will  not,  and 
cannot  account  for  the  facts.  No  undertaking,  much 
less  photography  could  exist  for  months,  much  less 
years,  conducted  on  the  methods  suggested.  Yet,  Mr. 
Frank  Forester  has  been  taking  psychic  photographs 
for  forty  years;  Mr.  Edward  Wyllie  for  twenty 
years;  and  the  late  Mr.  Boursnell  was  located  in  one 
centre  of  London  and  gave  his  “shadow  pictures”  or 
spirit  photographs  for  about  eighteen  years.  The 
Bangs  Bisters  produced  spirit  portraits  for  over 
twenty  years.  The  explanation  of  the  facts  is  not  to 
be  found  in  fraud. 


XIV 


INTRODUCTION 


There  is,  to  my  mind,  the  possibility  of  self-decep¬ 
tion  being  a  factor  in  the  recognition  of  the  “extras,” 
as  portraits  of  departed  persons.  But  even  this  will 
not  account  for  the  facts.  It  should  not  be  more  diffi¬ 
cult  to  discount  than  those  cases  of  mistaken  identity, 
which  occur  in  ordinary  life.  Faulty  memories,  per¬ 
version  of  the  judgment,  from  some  cause,  may 
account  for  the  recognition  of  some  of  these  photo¬ 
graphs.  Not  all.  That’s  all. 

Whether  the  psychic  pictures,  symbols,  etc.,  come 
on  the  plates  on,  before,  or  without  exposure,  there 
are  two  constant  factors  present : — 

(1).  For  every  figure,  image,  portrait,  etc.,  re¬ 
vealed  by  the  process  of  development,  some  unknown 
cause  has  produced  a  material,  chemical  change  in  the 
substance  of  the  film;  and  (2)  Through  the  process 
of  developing,  a  further  chemical  change  is  brought 
about  which  is  necessary  in  order  to  reveal  the  image 
or  portrait  produced  by  the  unknown  factor  or  fac¬ 
tors. 

Those  who  possess  knowledge  based  on  actual  ex¬ 
periment  can  vouch  for  the  genuineness  of  these  “ex¬ 
tras” — whether  symbols  or  portraits — as  they  have 
carefully  scrutinised  all  operations,  from  the  opening 
of  a  virgin  package  to  the  finishing  processes  of  de¬ 
veloping  and  printing.  I  give  several  instances: 

Sitters  have  chosen  their  own  time,  position  or 
place  for  operations,  and  yet,  extraneous  heads,  faces 
and  forms  have  appeared.  At  times,  a  clearly  iden¬ 
tifiable  portrait  of  a  departed  person  is  obtained,  of 


INTRODUCTION 


xv 


whom  no  similar  likeness  has  ever  been  taken  in  life. 
Clairvoyants,  too,  have  sometimes  seen  the  spirit  form 
in  the  room  before  it  has  been  photographed. 

By  what  kind  of  actinic  rays,  whether  those  con¬ 
tained  in  ordinary  light  or  not,  the  plates  have  been 
chemically  affected  cannot  be  definitely  known,  but  it 
can  be  stated  that  something  has  been  photographed 
which  was  invisible  to  normal  vision. 

Both  from  personal  knowledge  and  a  calm  review 
of  the  testimony  of  reputable  persons,  1  respectfully 
aver:  (1)  That  genuine  photographs  of  departed 
persons  have  been  taken.  (2)  That  in  a  great  num¬ 
ber  of  instances  these  have  been  of  men,  women  and 
children  unknown  to  the  sitters.  (3)  That  in  a  les¬ 
ser  degree  many  portraits  have  been  obtained  recog¬ 
nizable,  but  unrelated  to  the  sitter  and  the  operator. 
(4)  That  identified  portraits  are  obtained  of  de¬ 
parted  ones  related  to  either  sitter  or  operator.  (5) 
That  portraits  of  persons  unrelated  and  unknown  to 
the  sitter  have  subsequently  been  recognized  by  rela¬ 
tives  as  those  of  persons  who  had  never  been  known 
to  the  medium,  and  whose  spirit  photograph  differed 
from  any  taken  in  life.  (6)  That  in  many  cases 
portraits  have  been  immediately  identified  as  those  of 
departed  friends — and  of  living  persons — file  double. 
(7)  That  many  of  the  so-called,  unrecognized  spirit 
photographs  have  been  identified  subsequently  by 
persons  related  to  the  departed,  but  neither  knew  the 
operator-medium ;  the  sitter ;  nor  the  occasion  when 
the  same  was  taken:  showing  in  many  cases — at  least 


XVI 


INTRODUCTION 


— that  the  psychic  “extra”  was  not  that  of  a  thought- 
form  within  the  sub-conscionsness  of  the  medium,  or 
the  picture  of  a  departed  produced  by  the  desire  of 
the  sitter,  but  rather  a  portrait  produced — by  Invis¬ 
ible  operators — as  best  they  could,  either  hoping  for 
oi'  actually  anticipating  recognition  ultimately.  This 
is  a  reasonable  deduction  made  from  several  cases  re¬ 
ported.  (8)  That  persons  thought  of  have  been 
photographed,  in  accordance  with  promises  made 
through  a  psychic.  Some  forms  have  come  on  the 
plate  in  absence  of  the  embodied  relative,  as  subject, 
and  when  the  promise  to  come  had  been  forgotten. 

The  term  “Spirit  Photographs”  is  used  as  being 
convenient  and  not  as  either  being  accurate  or  the 
best  term.  As  to  the  character  of  these  “extras,”  espe¬ 
cially  where  they  are  pictures  of  departed  persons, 
it  is  difficult  in  our  present  limited  knowledge  to  say. 
To  assume  that  they  are  portraits  of  spirits  in  discar- 
nate  states  is  as  absurd  as  the  vacuous  conclusion  that 
they  are  fraudulently  produced.  Psychical  research 
in  its  plodding  inquiries  has  established — as  the  result 
of  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century’s  labours  that  which 
has  been  known  all  along — the  possession  of  psychic 
faculty  in  man.  These  faculties  have  been  variously 
labelled,  clairvoyance,  second  sight,  crystal  vision, 
elairaudience,  telepathy  and  other  modes  of  aware¬ 
ness  or  cognising  that  which  exists  in  the  Invisible, 
whether  the  same  be  a  reflection  of  impressions  on  the 
super-sensitive  backgrounds  of  sub-consciousness  or 
an  actual  knowing  through  psychic  processes  that  the 


INTRODUCTION 


xv  n 


reality  has  been  demonstrated  by  substantially  con¬ 
vincing  cases  and  by  photography,  etc. 

The  play  of  the  psychic  faculty  appears  to  be 
fugitive  in  most  cases.  Some  persons  can  recall  one 
or  two  instances  of  psychic  appearance  of  the  dead(  ?) 
and  the  double  in  their  lives,  while  others,  called 
“Psychics,”  mediums,  or  sensitives,  have  had  many 
such  experiences;  yet  to  none,  as  far  as  my  studies 
anti  personal  knowledge  have  gone,  do  I  find  the  exer¬ 
cise  of  psychic  faculty  a  continuous  feature. 

Not  only  are  the  psychic  faculties  established  by 
scientific  inquiry,  but  likewise  are  apparitions  of  the 
dead  and  phantasms  of  the  living.  While  they  have 
occasionally  apparently  been  detected  by  ordinary 
vision  in  the  experience  of  the  persons  affected,  I  am 
forced  to  the  conclusion  that  all  these  extra-ordinary 
— super-mundane  appearances  of  the  living  and  the 
dead  have  been  observed  only  through  the  sudden 
functioning  of  psychic  faculty. 

It  is  also  clear  that  while  all  that  which  is  seen  by 
psychic  vision — clairvoyance  and  telepathic  awareness 
— cannot  be  and  is  not  confined  to  seeing  apparitions 
of  the  dead,  or  doubles  of  the  living,  yet  these  have 
been  most  truly  seen.  These  have  not  been  hazy  and 
illusive,  but  are  veridical  hallucinations.  In  other 
words,  that  which  was  seen  had  a  veritable  existence 
in  the  invisible. 

Careful  study  of  crystal  vision,  while  it  reveals  that 
there  is  nothing  in  tin*  crystal  at  periods  but  what  tin* 
mind  of  server,  or  Seer,  puts  into  it,  it  must  not,  how- 


INTRODUCTION 


xviii 

ever,  be  forgotten  that  mind  has  a  deeper  significance 
than  is  usually  attached  to  it.  What  the  Seer  observes 
is  not  only  what  is  projected  from  self,  but  that  which 
has  been  conveyed  there  by  other  minds — telepathy. 
This  is  not  all.  Often  that  which  is  visualised  is  pre¬ 
sented  in  the  crystal  by  discarnate  minds.  The  crys¬ 
tal  is  merely  the  focusing  centre  where  the  thoughts 
of  the  discarnate  and  the  vision  of  the  psychic  meet. 

I  now  make  a  further  inference  from  the  study  of 
psychic  faculty,  and  that  is,  many  of  these  appari¬ 
tions — in  or  out  of  the  crystal — are  real.  They  are 
often  most  correct  in  every  detail  of  feature,  pose, 
dress  and  adornment,  of  what  the  originals  were  once 
in  life.  I  take  it  to  be  a  fact  that  the  photographs 
and  paintings  obtained  are  correct,  or,  as  correct  as 
the  memory — consciously  or  otherwise  in  operation — 
of  the  departed  can  produce.  But  they  are  neither 
photographs  nor  paintings  of  spirits  in  discarnate 
states,  although  it  must  be  convincingly  clear,  from 
the  evidence  produced  that  the  departed  are  intelli¬ 
gently  interested  in  the  production  of  these  photo¬ 
graphs  and  paintings. 

The  fact  that  many,  if  not  the  most  of  these 
photographs,  portraits  and  psychographs,  are  ob¬ 
tained,  when  neither  the  medium,  sitter,  nor  those 
most  interested,  are  aware  of  what  is  being  produced, 
points  unerringly  to  the  conclusion  that  whatever 
part  the  mediums  and  the  sitters  play  on  the  mate¬ 
rial  plane,  they  are  not  the  primary  factors  in  their 
production.  Intelligent  discarnate  spirits  in  the  In- 


INTRODUCTION 


xix 


visible  are  the  controlling,  directing  and  primary- 
factors. 

There  are  many  puzzles  and  difficulties  to  be  con¬ 
sidered.  These  are  not  to  be  met  by-  claiming  too 
much  as,  regrettably,  is  done  by  those  who  insist,  for 
instance,  that  all  these  photographs  of  departed  per¬ 
sons  are  those  of  spirits.  There  is  no  evidence  for 
that,  but  for  the  production  of  pictures  of  the  de¬ 
parted,  as  they  were  on  earth,  there  is  abundant  valu¬ 
able  evidence. 

Take  two  common  cases  which  occur  in  this  investi¬ 
gation,  that  of  persons  who  have  died  in  childhood, 
whose  photos  are  those  of  adults — “what  they  would 
have  been  had  they  lived,”  and  the  truly  identified 
portraits  of  children  who  died,  say  many  years  ago. 
It  must  be  clear  that  the  first  are  only  imaginary  por¬ 
traits.  Admitting  their  remarkable  resemblance  to 
existing  members  of  the  family,  it  cannot  be  clearly 
maintained — in  the  absence  of  proof — that  the  same 
are  correct  likenesses  of  the  departed.  As  to  chil¬ 
dren  who  passed  away  years  ago,  and  whose  psychic 
photographs  or  paintings  correctly  represent  them, 
as  they  were  on  earth,  it  is  more  than  certain  that 
these  cannot  be  likenesses  of  them  as  they  are  now  in 
the  spirit.  But  the  fact  remains  that  genuine  psychic 
portraits  of  both  these  classes  are  obtained. 

From  the  universal  experience  of  mankind  in  all 
ages;  and  from  the  investigations  of  modern  Spirit¬ 
ualists  and  the  work  of  psychical  research,  we  learn 


XX 


INTRODUCTION 


(1)  That  both  persons  and  things  exist  in  the  In¬ 
visible — outwith  the  range  of  ordinary  sense-faculty. 

(2)  That  man  possesses  psychic  vision,  and  other 
faculties,  by  which  the  realities  in  the  Invisible  can 
be  perceived. 

(3)  That  some  of  the  objects  and  persons  per¬ 
ceived  are  not  all  hazy  illusions,  old  memories,  and 
mere  thought  projections,  but  veritable  things  and  be¬ 
ings  existing  in  the  Invisible. 

(4)  That  from  the  number  of  cases  given  it  will 
be  seen  that  not  a  few  of  those  invisible  have  been 
photographed  or  painted.  Although  the  existence  and 
the  perception  of  ghosts,  apparitions,  doubles,  is  not 
new,  the  idea  of  their  objectivity  in  the  Invisible  and 
that  they  can  be  photographed  is. 

(5)  That  these  persons,  or  other  Intelligences 
knowing  what  they  were  like  during  earth  life,  take  a 
lively  interest  in  giving  their  photographs,  psycho- 
graphs  and  paintings,  is  shown  in  the  fact  that  many 
of  these  have  been  pre-arranged  and  in  accordance 
with  promise. 

(6)  That  in  no  case  can  these  photographs  and 
paintings  be  obtained  except  through  suitable  me¬ 
diums — few  in  number. 

1  am  compelled — slightly  varying  the  emphatic 
statement  of  the  world’s  greatest  living  scientist,  Dr. 
Alfred  Russel  Wallace,  F.  R.  S.,  O.  M. — to  say 

“  1  see  no  escape  from  the  conclusion  that  some  spir¬ 
itual  beings  acquainted  with  our  departed  friends 
(during  life)  have  produced  their  recognisable  im¬ 
pressions  on  plates  and  canvas.” 


INTRODUCTION 


xxi 


The  foregoing  constitutes  my  claim,  which — if  any 
weight  is  to  be  placed  on  human  testimony — is  fully 
substantiated  in  the  pages  of 


PHOTOGRAPHING  THE 
INVISIBLE 


PHOTOGRAPHING  THE 
INVISIBLE 


CHAPTER  I 

THE  FIRST  MEDIUM  PHOTOGRAPHER 

Mr.  Mumler,  of  Boston,  an  engraver  by  profession, 
through  the  discovery  of  Spirit  Photography  and  the 
subsequent  inroads  on  his  time,  was  compelled  to  be¬ 
come  a  professional  medium,  and  he  was  the  first — 
since  the  inception  of  Modern  Spiritualism — to  ob¬ 
tain  what  are  called  “Spirit  Photographs.”  In  the 
following  I  give  briefly  an  outline  of  his  mediumship 
and  the  trial  which  specially  brought  his  name  into 
prominence.  Owing  to  the  extreme  faintness  of  some 
of  the  Mumler  photographs  now  available,  I  have  not 
been  able  to  produce  them.  I  give  three:  The  first 
is  a  reproduction  of  an  old  photograph  of  Mrs.  Lin¬ 
coln  and  her  husband  the  former  president  of  the 
U.  S.  A. ;  the  second  of  Mr.  Moses  A.  Dow  and  Mabel 
Warren;  the  third  that  of  Mrs.  Britten— then  Emma 
Ilardinge — with  psychic  extra.  Beethoven. 

When  Mr.  Mumler,  whose  reputation  in  the  early 


1 


9 


PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


sixties  for  obtaining  spirit  photographs  had  created 
some  stir  among  the  better  class  of  investigators,  Dr. 
(then  Mr.)  Andrew  Jackson  Davies,  Editor  of  the 
Herald  of  Progress,  engaged  Mr.  Guay,  a  practical 
photographer,  to  investigate  Mr.  Mumler’s  procedure. 
Mr.  Guay,  in  his  report,  says: — 

“Having  been  permitted  by  Mr.  Mumler  every  fa¬ 
cility,  I  went  through  the  whole  process  of  selecting, 
cleaning,  preparing,  coating  and  silvering  and  put¬ 
ting  into  the  shield,  the  glass  upon  which  Mr.  M. 
proposed  that  a  spirit  form  should  be  imparted,  never 
taking  off  my  eyes,  and  not  allowing  Mr.  M.  to  touch 
the  glass  until  it  had  gone  through  the  whole  of  the 
operation.  The  result  was  that  there  came  upon  the 
glass  a  picture  of  myself,  and,  to  my  utter  astonish¬ 
ment — having  previously  examined  and  scrutinised 
every  crack  and  corner,  plate  holder,  camera,  box, 
tube,  the  inside  of  the  bath,  etc. — another  portrait. 
Having  since  continued,  on  several  occasions,  my  in¬ 
vestigations,  as  described  above,  and  received  even 
more  perfect  results,  than  on  first  trial,  I  have  been 
obliged  to  endorse  its  legitimacy.” 

Other  reputable  photographers  were  either  called 
in,  or  went  into  this  matter  on  their  own  account  to 
see  what  they  could  discover  about  this  Spirit  Pho¬ 
tography  and  expose,  if  possible,  the  “gross  fraud 
and  deception.”  They  obtained  every  facility  from 
Mr.  Mumler  to  make  their  investigations,  with  the 
usual  results,  that  there  was  no  detectable  fraud. 
Nay,  more,  if  fraud  there  be  the  investigators  must 
have  been  culprits,  for  in  all  their  investigations, 
“Spirit  Portraits”  were  obtained;  some  of  these  be¬ 
ing  identified,  and  this  occurred  when  these  practical 


THE  FIRST  MEDIUM  PHOTOGRAPHER  3 


photographic  experts  had  everything  their  own  way 
and  indeed  were  (on  the  visible  plane)  the  sole  and 
only  operators,  Mr.  Mumler  taking  no  part,  save  giv¬ 
ing  the  use  of  his  studio  and  the  fact  of  his  presence. 

The  one  striking  circumstance  which  brought  Mr. 
Mumler  and  his  mediumship  into  special  prominence 
was  his  trial  before  Justice  Dowling,  in  the  Tombs 
Police  Court,  New  York,  on  the  charge  of  having  “by 
mean?  of  what  lie  termed  spiritual  photographs 
swindled  many  credulous  persons.”  It  would  be  im¬ 
possible  to  give  more  than  the  gist  of  this  remarkable 
trial.  The  procedure  at  the  Tombs,  in  those  days 
— and  I  suspect  even  now — did  not  suggest  that 
a  fair  trial  was  possible.  Anyone  having  a  “po¬ 
litical  pull,”  unless,  indeed,  the  crime  was  of  such 
a  character  as  to  make  hushing  up  impossible  and 
squaring  and  “straw  bail”  of  no  avail,  could  get  off. 
In  this  case  Mumler  had  no  political  friends,  and  the 
charge  wras  one  which,  if  proved,  would  get  the  de¬ 
fendant  severely  punished. 

The  trial  lasted  several  days.  Mr.  Mumler  was 
prosecuted  by  Marshall  J.  II.  Tooker,  on  the  informa¬ 
tion  supplied  by  Mr.  P.  Y.  Hickey,  of  the  World,  who 
— by  the  suggestion  of  the  Mayor — acted  as  the  get¬ 
ter-up  of  the  case.  Mr.  Hickey,  acting  in  the  inter¬ 
ests  of  truth  ( !)  and  in  order  to  defend  the  credulous, 
assuming  a  false  name,  went  to  Mr.  Mumler  to  get  a 
“spirit  photograph,”  and  while  he  was  at  it  to  get 
some  copy  for  the  World.  He  swore  in  Court  that 
after  Mumler  had  taken  him  he  showed  him  the  nega- 


4  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


live,  on  which  was  a  “dim,  indistinct  outline  of  a 
ghostly  face  staring  out  of  the  corner.  ’  ’  Mumler  told 
him  that  it  represented  the  spirit  of  his  father-in-law. 
He  avowed  that  it  was  neither  like  the  old  gentleman, 
his  relatives,  nor  anyone  else  he  knew.  Marshall 
Tooker,  on  these  and  other  grounds,  instructed  the 
prosecution.  The  Tribune  and  other  leading  papers 
were  full  of  the  alleged  swindle.  The  reading  public 
was  treated  to  striking  headlines,  and  the  veracious 
writers — drawing  on  their  imaginations  for  their 
facts — were  pretty  certain  that  this  latest  imposter 
and  wonder-worker  would  be  sent  to  “The  Island.” 
But  so  far  from  this  being  the  outcome  of  the  trial,  so 
strong  was  the  independent  evidence  of  practical  pho¬ 
tographers  who  had  tested  Mr.  Mumler,  and  of  lead¬ 
ing  citizens  who  had  been  photographed,  many  of 
whom  had  received  identifiable  portraits  of  departed 
friends  and  relatives,  that  Judge  Dowling,  having 
heard  Counsel,  decided  that  the  Prosecution  had  not 
made  out  a  case  to  go  before  a  jury,  and  discharged 
the  defendant. 

The  evidence  in  favour  of  spirit  photography  which 
was  produced  at  this  trial  was  overwhelming.  Some 
of  it  was  given  by  Judge  Edmonds,  Justice  N.  Y. 
Supreme  Court,  1847-51,  and  the  U.  S.  Court  of  Ap¬ 
peals,  also  a  Senator  for  N.  Y.  State,  for  many  years. 
The  learned  Judge  was  the  author  of  a  remarkable 
work  on  “Spiritualism,”  in  two  volumes,  741  pages, 
published  in  New  York,  about  40  years  ago.  He  had 
sat  to  Mr.  Mumler  before  this  trial  and  had  two  phot- 


THE  FIRST  MEDIUM  PHOTOGRAPHER  5 


graphs  taken  on  which  there  were  “psychic  extras,” 
or  portraits  of  invisible  persons;  one  of  which  was 
recognised.  These  were  produced  at  the  trial,  and  in 
his  evidence  Judge  Edmonds  said : — 

“I  know  a  great  many  persons  who  have  visited 
Mumler,  some  of  whom  have  met  with  astonishing 
success  in  procuring  spirit  pictures  of  departed 
friends.  Mr.  Livermore,  of  Wall  Street,  has  been 
particularly  successful.  (Another  photograph  was 
shown,  that  of  a  young  man  sitting  in  a  chair  in 
pensive  attitude,  with  his  eyes  cast  down,  and  behind 
him  was  the  spectral,  white-clad  form  of  a  lady,  with 
her  hands  resting  on  the  sitter’s  shoulders.  The  pho¬ 
tographers  in  the  Court  declared  that  by  no  means 
known  to  them,  other  than  the  bodily  presence  of  the 
lady  behind  the  chair,  could  the  lady’s  hands  be  pro¬ 
duced.)  Spiritualists  reason  that  these  photographs 
are  actual  pictures  of  disembodied  spirits,  but  they 
do  not  know.  I  am  not  prepared  myself  to  express 
a  definite  opinion.  I  believe,  however,  that  in  time 
the  truth  or  falsity  of  spiritual  photography  will  be 
demonstrated,  and  I  therefore  say  it  would  be  best 
to  wait  and  see.  The  art,  is  yet  in  its  infancy.” 

Upon  being  cross-examined,  the  Judge  said : — 

“I  watched  the  operator  closely  when  he  was  tak¬ 
ing  the  picture,  but  could  detect  no  fraud ;  of  course, 
with  my  limited  knowledge  of  the  photographic  art, 
I  would  not  have  been  able  to  tell  if  he  had  used 
fraudulent  means  to  effect  his  end.  I  have  no  def¬ 
inite  opinion  as  to  these  pictures,  having  many  years 
ago  made  up  my  mind  never  to  form  an  opinion  with¬ 
out  knowledge ;  invariably,  when  I  have  done  so  I 
have  made  an  ass  of  myself.  I  believe  the  camera 
can  take  the  photograph  of  a  spirit,  and  I  believe  also 
that  spirits  have  materiality — not  that  gross  materi¬ 
ality  that  mortals  possess,  but  still  they  are  material 


6  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 

enough  to  be  visible  to  the  human  eye,  for  I  have 
seen  them.” 

Judge  Edmonds  was  one  of  the  foremost  jurists  in 
the  State  and  possessed  an  unspotted  reputation  both 
as  a  man  and  as  a  lawyer.  It  was  no  easy  matter  in 
those  days,  however  convinced  one  might  be  of  the 
presence  of  spirits,  to  risk  one’s  good  name,  reputa¬ 
tion  and  position  by  the  announcement  “for  1  have 
seen  them,”  as  his  Letters  testify. 

Among  other  important  witnesses  cited  and  ex¬ 
amined  was  Mr.  C.  F.  Livermore,  to  whom  Judge  Ed¬ 
monds  referred  in  his  testimony. 

Mr.  Livermore,  of  the  firm  of  Livermore,  Clews 
&  Co.,  whose  evidence  I  condense,  said : — 

“I  went  there  with  my  eyes  open,  but  as  a  skeptic. 
I  went  into  the  dark  room  with  him,  and  I  saw  him 
put  the  collodion  on  the  plate ;  then  sat  down  and  saw 
him  subsequently  develop  the  plate.  I  looked  at  the 
glass  first  and  saw  it  was  clean.  When  he  developed 
the  picture  he  held  it  up  to  the  light,  dripping  with 
the  water.  There  were  two  pictures  upon  the  plate, 
one  of  which  I  recognised  thoroughly  at  the  time. 
Then  I  had  a  little  quarrel  with  Mr.  Mumler.  I  re¬ 
fused  to  pay  him  as  they  were  so  entirely  unsatisfac¬ 
tory  to  me.  He  then  said  he  would  give  me  an  oppor¬ 
tunity  at  another  time.  I  left  the  place.  But  to 
provide  against  the  case  of  substitution,  I  had  pictures 
taken  off  the  negative.  I  showed  them  to  a  friend  of 
mine,  Dr.  John  F.  Gray,  a  physician,  who  immediately 
recognised  one  of  the  pictures  as  a  relative  of  his  ;  then 
1  recognised  it  myself.  I  then  went  again  to  Mum¬ 
ler  ’s,  and  made  arrangements  to  go  again  the  follow¬ 
ing  Tuesday,  but  went  on  the  Monday  morning 
following,  early,  so  as  to  take  him  by  surprise.  When 
I  went  there  he  said  that  I  had  expressed  so  much 


THE  FIRST  MEDIUM  PHOTOGRAPHER  7 


dissatisfaction  on  the  previous  occasion  that  I  might 
sit  till  1  was  satisfied ;  consequently  I  sat  five  times 
in  succession.  I  think  that  the  first  two  sittings 
amounted  to  nothing  but  a  shadowy  background.  I 
made  the  same  examination  that  I  had  previously. 
I  accompanied  him  before  the  operation  into  the  dark¬ 
room,  and  saw  him  pour  the  collodion  upon  the  plate. 
/  changed  my  position  each  sitting.  This  one — it 
showed  the  picture  of  a  lady  standing  behind  him, 
bearing  a  bunch  of  flowers  in  her  right  hand,  which 
rested  upon  his  right  breast — being  in  the  same  atti¬ 
tude  as  the  woman  occupied  upon  the  picture  of 
Judge  Edmonds,  mentioned  in  last  Thursday’s  report. 
He  then  showed  another  which,  in  answer  to  Counsel, 
he  said  he  recognised. 

Continuing — I  examined  the  camera  after  this,  but 
saw  nothing  out  of  the  way.  I  made  a  study  of  elec¬ 
tricity  and  magnetism.  I  also  made  a  study  of  the 
spectroscope;  in  these  instances  I  did  not  discover  any 
fraud  or  deception  or  anything  that  looked  like  it.” 

A  severe  and  prolonged  cross-examination  elicited, 
in  addition  to  amount  paid  to  Mumler  for  services,  in¬ 
teresting  facts  relating  to  identified  extras.  The  wit¬ 
ness’  testimony  was  unshaken. 

It  would  serve  no  specially  useful  purpose  to  recall 
and  reprint  the  evidence  given  by  various  persons  at 
this  trial,  all  of  which  not  only  went  to  prove  the 
hona  fides  of  Mr.  Mumler ’s  procedure,  his  exceeding 
fairness,  but  demonstrated  that  there  were  men  of 
standing  and  ability  ready  and  willing  to  stand  all 
the  obloquy  which  would  surely  be  theirs  by  declar¬ 
ing  t.hiat  +hey  sat  for  these  photographs  and  had 
really  obtained  portraits  of  the  departed.  Witness 
after  Avitness  gave  evidence,  and  all  of  them  spoke  of 


8 


PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


pictures  received  of  those  who  had  passed  away, 
whose  features  were  recalled  by  these  spirit  photo¬ 
graphs. 

As  to  Mr.  Mumler,  we  learn  from  the  trial  these 
three  facts : — 

1st.  That  he  was  not  a  photographer. 

2nd.  That  he  was  not  a  Spiritualist,  although  not 
ignorant  of  the  subject ;  and 

3rd.  That  the  first  spirit  photograph  was  obtained 
in  1861 ;  and  that  prior  to  this  discovery  he  was  not 
aware  that  he  possessed  mediumistic  powers  of  any 
kind. 

The  photographs  given  are  chosen  simply  beef  use 
of  their  interest,  rather  than  for  the  evidence  which 
they  present.  Vet  that  evidence  must  be  seriously 
considered.  Owing  to  the  fact  that  the  pictures  are 
copies  of  the  original,  but  now  very  faint,  photo¬ 
graphs,  they  do  not  reproduce  very  clearly. 

The  form  of  the  President  is  seen  standing  behind 
Mrs.  Lincoln,  with  his  hands  affectionately  laid  upon 
her  shoulders.  That  attitude  alone  tells  its  own  tale. 
No  similar  photograph  of  this  group  was  ever  taken 
in  life.  This  photograph  was  among  some  of  the 
earlier  pictures  taken  by  Mumler.  Mrs.  Lincoln, 
when  in  Boston,  visited  Mr.  Mumler  and  gave  the 
name  of  Mrs.  Tyndall.  She  was  in  mourning  and 
veiled  prior  to  being  taken.  Mr.  Mumler  did  not 
know  who  she  was  and  had  no  rneane  of  kno 
But  this  was  a  frequent  occurrence  and  called  for  no 
special  comment.  When  a  print  was  taken,  Mr.  Mum- 


THE  FIRST  MEDIUM  PHOTOGRAPHER  9 


ler  recognised  the  spirit  as  that  of  the  late  President. 
Mr.  Mumler  showed  it  to  his  visitor  and  asked  her  if 


Fig.  2.  The  remarkable  photograph  of  Mrs.  Abraham  Lincoln 
(on  which  appears  the  portrait  of  her  late  husband,  the 
late  President  of  the  United  States,  and  of  his  son),  both 
almost  too  faint  for  reproduction. 

she  recognised  it.  She  replied  that  she  did.  Another 
lady  present,  on  seeing  it,  exclaimed,  ‘‘Why,  this 
looks  like  President  Lincoln.”  Mrs.  Lincoln  then 
said,  ‘‘Yes,  it  does.  I  am  his  widow.” 


10  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


Mr.  Moses,  A.  Dow  and  Mabel  Warren. 

Writing  to  “M.  A.,  Oxon,”  Mr.  Dow,  whose  letter 
I  condense,  says : — 

“Dear  Sir,— Your  note  of  the  17th  inst.  reached 
me  this  morning,  and  I  will  try  to  give  you  an  outline 


Fig.  3.  The  Photograph  of  Mr.  Moses  A.  Dow,  who  was  the 
Editor  and  Proprietor  of  the  Waverley  Magazine,  and 
Psychic  Extra  of  Mabel  Warren.  Done  by  Mumlcr. 

of  my  experience  in  spirit  photography.  There  is  no 
more  important  subject  before  the  public  than  that 
of  Spiritualism.  I  employ  in  my  publishing  office  of 
the  Waverley  Magazine  some  fifteen  young  ladies, 


TIIE  FIRST  MEDIUM  PHOTOGRAPHER  11 


some  setting  types,  some  laying  paper  on  the  presses, 
some  laying  paper  on  the  folding  machines  and  some 
are  employed  in  mailing  papers,  and  others  in  read¬ 
ing  and  preparing  MSS.  for  the  compositors.  Among 
the  latter  class  was  a  girl  who  came  to  my  office  in 
1861,  and  remained  with  me  till  1870,  when  she  was 
suddenly  taken  sick  and  died,  aged  about  27  years. 
The  latter  years  of  her  stay  in  my  office  developed 
her  into  a  very  intellectual,  amiable  and  beautiful 
lady.  Her  long  continuance  with  me,  and  her  unsel¬ 
fish  interest  in  my  welfare,  created  in  my  mind  a 
deep  interest  in  her,  and  that  interest  was  recipro¬ 
cated  and  several  times  expressed  by  her. 

In  just  seven  days  after  she  died,  I  happened  to 
be  in  the  presence  of  a  medium,  and  the  controlling 
spirit  (an  Indian  girl)  says,  ‘You  have  got  a  beauti¬ 
ful  lady  to  see  you,  and  she  has  roses  in  her  hand  and 
they  are  for  you,  as  she  loved  you  the  best  of  anyone, 
because  you  was  so  good  to  her.’  I  was  surprised, 
for  I  did  not  suppose  that  an  earthly  affection  could 
ever  be  expressed  by  our  friends  after  they  had  left 
the  body.  I  went  to  Saratoga,  about  150  miles  from 
Boston,  and  while  there  met  Dr.  Ileale,  the  renowned 
medium.  I  had  a  seance  with  him  (a  perfect 
stranger),  and  he  placed  a  common  school  slate  under 
the  table,  which  he  held  with  his  right  hand,  while 
the  left  one  rested  on  the  table,  in  contact  with  my 
own.  Immediately  the  pencil  was  heard  to  write,  and 
on  taking  it  out,  the  words,  ‘1  am  always  with  you,’ 
and  signed  with  her  true  name  was  written  on  it. 

I  had  sittings  with  Mrs.  Harley,  in  Saratoga,  every 
week  for  three  months,  saying  nothing  about  the  pic¬ 
ture;  at  the  end  of  that  time  I  asked  her  (Mabel  War¬ 
ren)  if  she  was  going  to  give  me  her  spirit  picture, 
when  she  replied  that  she  was  ready  to  do  so.  T 
asked  her  how  it  would  be  taken.  ‘By  photography,’ 
said  she.  ‘Will  the  same  artist  take  it  who  took  your 
earth  picture?’  ‘No;  it  must  be  done  by  a  medium 


12 


PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


artist.’  ‘When  will  you  have  it  taken?’  ‘I  will  tell 
you  when  you  call  next  week.  ’  ’  ’ 

At  the  end  of  another  week  I  was  at  Mrs.  Harley ’s. 
Mr.  Dow  had  several  sittings  with  Mrs.  Harley,  and 
under  directions  received  he  went  to  Mumler,  with 
whom  he  had  several  sittings  and  failed  to  get  what 
had  been  previously  arranged,  dress  and  other  things 
which  were  to  be  given  for  identification.  I  now 
give  in  Mr.  Dow’s  own  words  the  obtaining  of  this 
special  spirit  picture. 

“I  told  him  (Mumler)  I  had  the  promise  of  a  pic¬ 
ture,  and  he  said  he  must  keep  trying,  and  sometimes 
he  tried  five  or  six  times  before  he  got  a  picture.  He 
placed  a  third  plate  in,  and  I  sat  just  five  minutes 
by  his  watch,  which  he  held  in  his  hand,  and  his  back 
towards  me,  and  his  hand  resting  on  the  camera.  He 
took  it  out  and  went  out  of  the  room.  After  he  had 
gone,  Mrs.  M.,  a  medium,  came  into  the  room,  and 
seemed  to  be  under  some  influence.  I  asked  her  if 
she  saw  any  spirit,  and  she  said  she  saw  a  beautiful 
young  lady  standing  near  me  and  instantly  was  in  a 
trance;  and  my  first,  spirit  friend  said  to  me  ‘Now,  I 
shall  give  you  my  picture ;  the  dress  will  not  be  pos¬ 
itively  striped,  but  the  lights  and  shades  will  imitate 
stripes;  I  shall  stand  by  your  side,  with  my  head 
resting  on  your  shoulder,  and  shall  have  a  wreath  of 
flowers  on  my  head.  I  put  in  all  the  magnetism  I 
possessed.’  Then  Mr.  M.  came  in  with  the  plate  and 
said  he  had  got  a  picture.  I  looked  at  the  negative, 
and  saw  evidence  of  there  being  my  picture,  and  a 
lady’s  face  by  the  side  of  mine.  Mr.  M.  said  he 
would  send  me  a  proof  of  it  the  next  day.  I  told 
him  to  send  it  to  my  box  in  the  P.  0.,  directed  to  Mr. 
Johnson.  I  did  not  get  it  till  the  third  day. 

I  was  on  my  way  home  at  night,  and  called  at  the 


THE  FIRST  MEDIUM  PHOTOGRAPHER  13 


P.  0.,  and  found  an  envelope  for  Mr.  Johnson ;  and 
on  opening  it  I  found  the  proof.  I  took  it  home ;  and 
having  a  good  microscope,  I  used  it,  which  made  it 
look  as  large  as  life,  and  I  saw  the  correct  picture  of 
my  lost  friend.  The  thought  was  very  exciting  to  my 
feelings.  I  wrote  a  note  to  Mr.  M.,  and  told  him  who 
I  was  and  that  I  considered  him  as  commissioned  by 
the  angels  to  do  this  work,  and  that  I  was  perfectly 
satisfied  with  the  picture.  My  friend  asked  me  to 
have  it  taken  large,  while  she  was  in  a  condition  to 
influence  the  medium.  I  urged  Mr.  M.  to  throw  it 
up,  and  I  have  it  in  a  frame,  2%  feet  square,  in  a 
cabinet  in  my  office.  I  consider  it  an  honest  and  true 
picture ;  and  she  has  often  assured  me  that  it  was  a 
truthful  picture.  The  pictures  enclosed  will  enable 
you  to  see  if  there  is  a  likeness. — Yours  for  the  truth, 

Moses  A.  Dow.” 

In  the  foregoing  condensed  narrative  there  is 
abundant  material  for  thought.  The  departed  one 
manifests,  through  several  mediums,  giving  directions 
and  finally  appears  to  give  her  late  employer  and 
friend  an  identifiable  portrait. 

Among  the  many  advocates  of  Spiritualism  with 
whom  I  came  in  contact  in  the  early  seventies  was  the 
late  Mrs.  Emma  Hardinge  Britten.  This  lady  testi¬ 
fied  to  the  genuineness  of  Mumler’s  gifts  and  sterling 
honesty. 

I  give  her  own  statement,  slightly  condensed,  which 
she  contributed  to  the  Medium  of  December  17th. 
1871:— 


‘‘About  a  fortnight  ago  I  called  on  Mr.  Mumler  for 
a  sitting.  The  result  of  my  first  sitting  was  the  pro¬ 
duction  of  a  female  form,  bending  over  me  in  the 


14.  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 

attitude  of  affection;  but  although  the  spirit  bears 
some  resemblance  to  a  dear  departed  friend,  it  is  not 


Fig.  4.  Photograph  of  the  late  Mrs.  Emma  Hardinge  Britten, 
and  the  Psychic  Portrait  thereon  of  Beethoven.  This  is 
a  rough  reproduction  from  the  original  (but  faint)  photo¬ 
graph,  done  by  Mumler. 

sufficiently  obvious  to  constitute  a  likeness.  At  my 
next  sitting,  a  large  and  remarkable-looking  bead 


THE  FIRST  MEDIUM  PHOTOGRAPHER  15 


appeared  on  the  negative,  but  ere  the  prints  were 
taken  I  could  not  trace  clearly  any  well  defined  like¬ 
ness.  I  remarked  to  Mr.  Mumler  that  the  negative 
appeared  to  present  the  appearance  of  some  musical 
character,  as  there  were  indications  of  a  lyre  shad¬ 
owed  forth  in  the  negative.  Upon  this,  Mr.  Mumler 
immediately  wrote  on  a  slip  of  paper  backwards,  the 
name  of  ‘Beethoven.’  When  the  prints  were  at 
length  produced  they  clearly  showed  the  portrait  of 
Beethoven  hovering  over  me,  and  holding  a  faintly 
defined  musical  instrument  in  his  hands,  so  placed  as 
to  present  the  shadow  hetiveen  my  dress  and  the 
watch  chain  which  falls  across  it.  Now,  the  circum¬ 
stances  which  render  the  appearance  of  the  great  mu¬ 
sician  upon  my  photograph  singularly  significant  are 
these : — My  principal  occupation  during  my  late  resi¬ 
dence  in  England  was  to  write  certain  musical  criti¬ 
cisms,  in  which  the  life  and  works  of  Beethoven 
formed  the  chief  theme  of  my  analysis.  The  very  last 
piece  of  musical  writing  which  I  executed  was  an 
essay  on  the  Beethoven  Centenary  at  Bonn,  celebrated 
just  as  I  was  about  to  return  to  America.  Whilst 
engaged  in  these  writings,  I  have  the  best  of  reasons 
for  believing  that  the  spirit  of  the  noble  German  was 
frequently  with  me,  and  by  a  variety  of  test-facts 
convinced  me  and  others  that  he  was  interested  in  what 
I  wrote,  and  not  unfrequently  suggested  ideas,  or  dic¬ 
tated  corrections  upon  points  of  his  life  and  musical 
intentions.  These  circumstances  considered,  I  think 
the  remarkable  resemblance  of  the  spirit  portrait  to 
the  well-known  head  of  Beethoven  may  be  taken  as  a 
striking  and  conclusive  test  of  the  spirit  presence.  A 
vast  number  of  persons  witli  whom  I  am  well  ac¬ 
quainted  have  received  admirable  portraitures  of 
their  spirit  friends  from  Mr.  Mumler,  and  that  they 
themselves  were  strangers  to  him  and  that  no  possi¬ 
bility  could  exist  of  his  procuring  any  likeness  or 
knowledge  of  the  spirit  friends  represented  is 
certain. ” 


16  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


Nearly  every  medium  photographer  whose  photo¬ 
graphs  I  have  seen  appears  to  have  some  influence  in 
the  characteristics  of  the  work  turned  out.  It  is  in¬ 
teresting  to  note  what  were  some  of  the  special 
features  of  Mr.  Mumler’s  spirit  photographs. 

We  learn  from  comments  in  The  British  Journal 
of  Photography,  on  the  evidence  of  Ur.  Child,  of 
Philadelphia,  in  1863,  that  he 

“applied  to  various  practical  operators  here  and  else¬ 
where  for  information ;  and  he  had  had  prepared 
ghost  pictures  by  all  the  well  known  processes. 
Armed  with  these  and  the  information  received  with 
them  from  their  makers,  he  wended  his  way  to  Bos¬ 
ton.  He  found  this  medium  (Mr.  Mumler)  very  will¬ 
ing  to  give  him  every  opportunity  of  investigating 
the  matter,  and,  as  he  said,  earnest  himself  to  find  a 
rational  solution  of  the  mystery.  He  permitted  him 
to  watch  all  his  operations  in  the  dark  room  and  out 
of  it ;  and  allowed  him  to  examine  all  his  apparatus. 
Dr.  Child  showed  the  pictures  made  at  that  time, 
while  he  and  several  friends  were  watching  the  whole 
process,  from  the  plate  cleaning  to  the  fixing.  He 
took  the  precaution  to  mark  each  plate  with  a  dia¬ 
mond  before  it  was  used.  Yet,  on  each  was  a  spirit 
image,  and  he  failed  in  toto  to  discover  any  human 
agency  concerned  in  the  formation  of  the  spirit  pic¬ 
ture.  As  to  these,  they  differ  very  considerably  from 
any  that  he  had  ever  seen,  and  he  knew  of  no  way  of 
imitating  them.  The  spirit  is  never  a  full  length  fig- 
lire;  always  a  bust  or  three-quarter  length,  and  yet  it 
was  impossible  to  tell  where  the  figure  disappears.  An 
examination  of  the  prints  showed  that  some  of  the 
spirit  portraits,  by  their  whiteness  (high  lights)  were 
the  first  to  be  seen  in  developing  the  plates.  There 
were  general  features  pretty  well  marked,  but  except 
the  very  intense  part  of  the  face,  the  surrounding  ob- 


THE  FIRST  MEDIUM  PHOTOGRAPHER  17 


jects  are  distinctly  seen  through  the  image,  and  yet 
there  was  none  of  that  clearness  of  definition  usual 
in  under-exposed  figures  in  (made  or  simulated)  ghost 
pictures.” 

From  the  foregoing,  which  I  have  curtailed,  we 
learn : — 

1st.  That  while  every  precaution  was  taken,  these 
“psychic  extras’  appeared  on  marked  plates. 

2nd.  That  in  every  case  they  differed  materially 
from  any  “made”  photograph  which  the  well- 
equipped  practical  photographers  could  supply. 

3rd.  That  the  spirit  picture  frequently  had  the 
appearance  of  not  being  synchronously  taken  with 
that  of  the  subject  or  sitter,  and  often  not  in  focal 
relationship. 

4th.  All  the  evidence  points  to  the  genuineness  of 
their  character. 

5th.  Neither  will-power  nor  any  other  human 
agency — as  far  as  could  be  detected  from  an  expert 
photographic  standpoint — was  concerned  in  their 
production. 

It  is  reasonable  to  conclude  or  assume  at  this  stage 
two  things:  That  these  “extras”  came;  and  that  as 
no  human  agency  was  the  means  of  their  production, 
there  was  some  other  agency  at  work  of  an  unseen, 
unknown  character,  and  yet  of  an  intelligent  and 
human-like  nature.  In  some  instances,  as  in  the  re¬ 
markable  evidence  of  Mr.  Moses  A.  Dow,  the  spirit 
picture  came  on  the  plate  as  the  result  of  previous 
declaration  and  appointment  with  one  “departed.” 


18  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


Of  the  many  spirit  photographs  received  by  “M. 
A.,  Oxon.  ”,  of  which  particulars  were  given  by  him 
in  Human  Nature,  I  will  refer  only  to  one,  and  that 
merely  to  illustrate  the  character  of  some  photographs 
taken  at  this  period : 

This  is  a  picture  of  Master  Harrod,  of  N.  Bridge- 
water,  Massachusetts,  and  shows  three  spirits  stand¬ 
ing  behind  him — a  European,  an  Indian  and  a  Negro. 
Respecting  this  remarkable  picture,  Mr.  Mumler 
testifies : — 

“When  the  above  picture  was  taken,  the  young 
man  and  his  father  called  and  desired  a  sitting — not 
stating  who  or  what  he  desired  or  expected  to  come 
on  the  plate.  After  developing  the  negative,  I 
brought  it  into  the  room.  On  looking  at  it  Mr.  Har¬ 
rod  exclaimed,  ‘Mr.  Mumler,  that  is  the  most  won¬ 
derful  picture  that  you  have  ever  taken.’  I  asked 
him  to  explain.  ‘Well,’  he  continued,  ‘my  son  has 
been  controlled  a  few  months,  and  before  coming 
here  a  spirit  took  possession  of  him,  and  said  if  he 
would  come  to  your  studio  three  spirits  would  show 
themselves,  representing  Europe,  Africa  and  Amer¬ 
ica  ;  and  there  they  are,  ’  he  cried  excitedly,  ‘  A  Euro¬ 
pean,  a  Negro  and  an  Indian.’  Subsequently  the 
young  man  called  on  me  for  another  sitting,  and  re¬ 
ceived  on  the  negative  an  elderly  lady  and  gentleman, 
who,  he  declared,  were  his  grandfather  and  mother, 
as  had  been  promised.  It  then  occurred  to  me  to  take 
his  picture  while  entranced,  to  see  if  I  could  get  the 
controlling  power;  and  to  that  end  I  asked  if  there 
was  any  spirit  present  to  please  entrance  the  medium. 
In  a  few  moments  he  threw  his  head  back,  apparently 
in  a  deep  trance.  I  then  adjusted  the  focus  and  ex¬ 
posed  the  plate,  and  took  the  picture  as  represented. 
The  spirit  seen  here  is  undoubtedly  ‘ his  double,’  as  it 
is  unmistakably  a  true  likeness  of  himself.” 


THE  FIRST  MEDIUM  PHOTOGRAPHER  19 


The  above  case  throws  an  interesting  sidelight  on 
the  phenomenon  of  the  double.  The  S.  P.  R.  of  later 
days  has  established  the  double  in  its  Proceedings, 
but  I  think  that  this  is  the  first  time  in  the  history  of 
Spirit  Photography  that  the  double  has  been  photo¬ 
graphed.  The  second  occasion  which  I  can  recall  was 
that  of  a  double  of  Herne,  a  physical  medium  in  Lon¬ 
don,  ten  years  later.  Whether  the  double  is  a  factor 
in  trance  and  in  spiritistic  phenomena — such  as  in  the 
production  of  trance  and  of  that  which  takes  place 
subsequently  to  the  trance — is  a  matter  which,  al¬ 
though  suggested  here,  must  be  dealt  with  elsewhere. 
It  is,  however,  both  an  interesting  and  legitimate  sub¬ 
ject  for  inquiry.  We  learn  from  these  instances  of 
spirit  photography  that  while  they  are  not  and  could 
not  be  produced  by  will-power,  as  far  as  those,  at 
any  rate,  on  this  plane  are  concerned,  it  is  a  notable 
feature  that  some  of  these  identifiable  portraits  came 
in  response  to  exchange  of  thought  as  between  the  in¬ 
carnate  and  discarnate.  I  will  conclude  my  refer¬ 
ences  to  Mr.  Mumler  by  the  more  recent  testimony  of 
Dean  Clarke,  who  is  so  well  known  on  both  sides  of 
the  Atlantic.  In  Light  June  9th,  1900,  he  not  only 
testifies  to  the  mediumship  of  Mr.  W.  II.  Mumler,  but 
also  to  his  readiness  to  be  tested.  I  condense  that 
article,  as  follows : — 

“I  visited  him  at  his  rooms,  Boston,  for  the  pur¬ 
pose  of  testing  his  powers.  I  was  a  stranger  to  him, 
but,  on  telling  my  object,  he  readily  consented  to  give 
me  a  sitting,  and  to  afford  me  every  opportunity  to 
test  the  genuineness  of  his  productions.  I  examined 


20  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


his  room,  his  entire  apparatus.  He  was  but  an  ama¬ 
teur  in  photography  and  had  no  place  but  his  parlour 
in  which  to  take  his  pictures.  ’  ’ 

Having  superintended  the  entire  operations,  which 
I  need  not  detail.  Dean  Clarke  adds 

“When  he  washed  the  negative  and  held  it  up  for 
me  to  see,  to  my  great  surprise  I  saw  above  my  own 
a  clear  cut  face  of  a  cousin  who  had  been  22  years  in 
spirit  life,  and  who  never  had  any  picture  of  herself 
taken  while  on  earth.  Her  image  could  not  be  ob¬ 
tained  from  my  mind,  for  it  was  fixed  on  my  brother. 
Her  photograph  has  been  recognized  by  all  to  whom 
it  has  been  shown-  who  knew  her  in  earthly  form. 

Accompanied  by  an  intelligent  and  skeptical 
friend,  we  visited  Mumler  again,  when  all  the  criti¬ 
cal  processes  of  testing  were  repeated.  My  friend  sat 
and  watched  the  processes.  He  obtained  the  face  of 
an  old  lady  wearing  a  ruffled  cap.  It  was  the  face  of 
his  mother,  who  had  been  dead  eight  years.  I  then 
sat  and  obtained  the  picture  of  my  own  mother,  whom 
I  had  hoped  would  have  come  at  the  first  sitting.  The 
likeness  was  unmistakable,  even  to  the  side  curls, 
which  were  in  the  same  style  and  number  as  in  life. 
There  was  no  portrait  of  her  in  existence,  except  a 
small  daguerreotype,  and  though  the  face  in  that  and 
in  Mumler ’s  picture  are  clearly  the  same  in  every 
other  respect,  the  poses  of  the  head  are  different.  ’  ’ 

Other  photographs  were  obtained,  and  he  con¬ 
cludes  : — 

“Our  crucial  experiments  proved  beyond  question 
the  truth  of  spirit  photography.” 

I  am  compelled  by  want  of  space  to  refrain  from 


THE  FIRST  MEDIUM  PHOTOGRAPHER  21 


giving  other  particulars  in  favor  of  this  remarkable 
medium,  and  not  from  want  of  material.  All  those 
who  have  testified  in  his  favour  were  not  Spiritualists. 
The  intelligence  and  position  of  those  whom  I  have 
selected  lend  great  weight  to  their  evidence. 


CHAPTER  II 


MR.  HUDSON’S  MEDIUMSHIP 

The  success  of  Mr.  Mumler’s  mediumship  in  the 
United  States  and  the  discussion  of  the  subject 
through  the  Press  in  London  led  many  there  to  have 
a  keen  interest  in  the  matter.  I  deal  with  some  of 
these  early  experiences  in  this  chapter. 

Mr.  Hudson  was  the  first  professional  medium  in 
Great  Britain  to  obtain  spirit  photographs.  When  he 
commenced,  he  had  a  small  studio  in  the  Holloway 
district  of  London.  He  subsequently  moved  from 
there  when  his  mediumship  came  into  note.  The  first 
spirit  photograph  taken  by  Hudson  was  on  4th 
March,  1872.  At  that  time,  Mr.  Hudson, — although 
not  a  Spiritualist — was  interested  in  Spiritualism, 
and  was  more  or  less  in  touch  with  Spiritualists.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Guppy  were  friends.  He  knew  Herne  and 
Williams,  who  were  well  known  physical  mediums, 
but  was  not  certain,  or  probably  not  aware,  that  he 
had  any  mediumship  in  this  direction. 

In  response  to  directions  received  from  spirits 
through  table-tipping — at  the  home  of  the  Guppy’s — 
it  was  arranged  that  a  sitting  should  take  place  at 
Hudson’s  studio.  Mr.  Guppy  was  the  sitter  in  front 


22 


MR.  HUDSON’S  MBDIUMSHIP 


23 


of  the  screen,  and  Mrs.  Guppy  sat  in  an  extemporised 
dark  cabinet  behind.  Mr.  Guppy,  sitting  in  daylight, 
felt  a  wreath  of  flowers  placed  gently  on  his  head, 
and  so  appeared  when  the  photograph  was  developed, 
and  there  was  a  large  veiled  figure  standing  beside 
him.  This  was  the  first  sign  of  spirit  photography  re¬ 
ceived  in  this  country.  On  the  same  day,  and  only  a 
quarter  of  an  hour  afterwards,  with  the  same  sitter, 
another  white  figure  came,  but  as  yet  no  defined  por¬ 
traits.  A  third  sitting  gave  a  similar  result.  That 
was  the  beginning.  On  7th  March,  1872,  there  were 
other  sittings,  with  certain  precautions  taken. 

Miss  Houghton,  the  author  of  “The  Chronicles  of 
Spirit  Photography”  (to  which  I  am  indebted),  was 
the  sitter.  On  the  first  plate  there  was  beside  herself 
a  veiled  spirit  form,  or  white-clad  figure,  with  a  hand 
resting  on  her  (Miss  Houghton’s)  shoulder.  The 
hand  was  clearly  defined  and  human  to  all  appear¬ 
ance.  On  the  second  plate  taken  there  was  a  spirit 
figure  and  traces  of  a  face,  and  on  the  third  and  last 
attempt  that  day  with  Miss  Houghton,  there  appeared 
a  symbol  of  a  dagger  pointing  towards  her  head. 

So  much  for  the  beginning  of  this  phase  of  physical 
phenomena  in  Great  Britain,  on  which  T  will  make 
three  comments. 

1st.  The  wreath  which  was  placed  on  Mr.  Guppy’s 
head  was  one  of  artificial  flowers,  which  belonged  to 
the  requisites  of  Mr.  Hudson ’s  studio.  This  article 
was  lifted  by  invisible  means  and  placed  on  his  head. 
This  indicated  that  either  through  Mrs.  Guppy’s  me- 


24  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


diumship,  or  that  of  Hudson,  there  was  what  Sir 
William  Crookes  called  “Psychic  Force”  present,  or 
in  other  words,  there  were  intelligent  spirits  present, 
who  were  able  to  act  on  material  things. 

2nd.  That  before  that  particular  sitting  in  which 
the  white  figure  came  and  placed  its  hand  on  Miss 
Houghton’s  shoulder,  Miss  Houghton’s  deceased 
mother  promised  to  come  and  be  photographed.  Miss 
Houghton  says: — 

“While  Mr.  Hudson  was  in  his  dark-room  prepar¬ 
ing  the  plate,  Mrs.  Guppy  told  me  that  she  had  a 
message  from  the  spirit  to  the  effect  that  Mamma 
would  try  and  manifest  herself  and  place  her  hand 
on  my  shoulder.  Of  course,  as  soon  as  Mr.  Hudson 
began  to  develop  his  negative,  we  questioned  eagerly 
as  to  whether  there  was  anything  to  be  seen,  and 
hearing  there  was,  went  in  to  feast  our  own  eyes  as 
soon  as  we  could  be  admitted,  and  behind  me  there  is 
a  veiled  figure,  with  a  hand  advanced  almost  to  my 
shoulder.” 

In  this  case  we  have  evidence  of  an  Intelligence  in 
the  Invisible  being  at  work,  and  the  promises  made 
through  the  lips,  or  from  impressions  made  on  Mrs. 
Guppy’s  mind  (she  was  a  remarkable  medium  in 
private  life  in  her  day)  were  fulfilled. 

3rd.  The  symbol  of  the  dagger,  when  examined, 
was  produced  by  a  further  display  of  unseen  physical 
force,  being  nothing  more  or  less  than  a  dagger  which 
Miss  Houghton  had  in  her  hair  being  withdrawn  and 
suspended  in  the  air  long  enough  to  be  photographed. 

On  another  plate  taken  there  was  a  brilliant  light, 


MR.  HUDSON’S  MEDIUMSHIP 


25 

in  which  there  appeared  two  figures  to  the  bust. 
From  the  faintness  of  the  figures  and  the  brightness 
of  the  light,  they  were  not  very  well  defined.  On 
careful  examination  with  a  powerful  glass,  Miss 
Houghton  was  able  to  distinguish  and  identify  them 
as  her  father  and  mother. 

I  summarise  from  Miss  Houghton’s  letter  March 
14th.  1872  to  the  Christian  Spiritualist  the  follow¬ 
ing:— 

“I  have  just  returned  from  Holloway,  after  an¬ 
other  attempt.  While  Mr.  Hudson  was  taking  the 
first  negative,  I  felt  the  signal  by  which  my  dear 
nephew,  Charlie  Warren  (who  was  lost  in  the  ‘Car¬ 
natic’),  makes  his  presence  known,  and  some  little 
distance  above  my  head  appears  his  hand,  quite  per¬ 
fect,  with  a  glimpse  of  the  wristband ;  the  thumb  is 
bent  across  the  palm,  as  if  pointing  to  the  ring  on  his 
little  finger,  which  had  been  papa’s  diamond  ring, 
that  we  had  reset  for  Charlie  after  papa’s  death.  On 
the  second  plate,  just  above  my  head,  is  a  small  hand 
holding  a  leaf ;  it  is  the  same  little  hand  that  with¬ 
drew  the  dagger  from  my  hair  on  a  previous  occasion. 
While  the  third  negative  was  in  progress,  I  felt  some¬ 
thing  on  my  head  for  a  moment,  and  then  a  young 
rabbit  (from  Mr.  Hudson’s  rabbit  hutch  in  the  gar¬ 
den  wherein  the  studio  is  built)  was  placed  in  my  lap, 
where  it  did  not  remain  very  still,  so  that  it  is  not 
very  clear,  but  sufficiently  to  show  what  it  is.  There 
is  a  male  figure  behind,  stooping  slightly  forward, 
but  having  had  to  move  in  consequence  of  the  vaga¬ 
ries  of  the  rabbit,  it  is  of  course  hazy.” 

The  Editor  of  the  Christian  Spiritualist,  comment¬ 
ing,  adds: — 

“Copies  of  the  photographs  to  which  the  letter  re- 


26  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


fers  have  been  received  by  ns.  They  certainly  do  il¬ 
lustrate,  in  a  striking  manner,  Miss  Houghton’s  nar¬ 
rative,  and  we  should  strongly  advise  persons 
interested  in  the  subject  to  put  themselves  into  com¬ 
munication  with  Mr.  Hudson,  the  photographer,  or 
with  Miss  Iloiighton,  or  better  still,  with  both.” 

From  this  time  onward  there  were  greater  suc¬ 
cesses.  The  veils  which  obscured  the  faces  of  the 
figures  became  thinner,  so  that  the  features  could  be 
discerned  and  latterly  the  veils  were  dispensed  with 
altogether.  There  was  naturally  great  excitement.  It 
soon  became  evident  that  the  claims  made  for  photo¬ 
graphing  Invisible  persons — especially  those  who  had 
departed  this  life — must  be  thoroughly  investigated. 
The  first  competent  expert  to  do  so  was  Mr.  Thomas 
Slater,  optical  and  philosophical  instrument  maker. 
His  letter  (owing  to  its  importance;  the  ability  of  Mr. 
Slater,  and  the  early  day  of  his  inquiry)  I  give  in  full. 
It  will  be  remembered  that  the  first  spirit  photo¬ 
graphs  were  obtained  in  March,  and  as  Mr.  Slater’s 
investigations  were  in  the  early  days  of  May,  not 
much  time  was  lost  in  putting  the  matter  to  test.  Mr. 
Slater’s  letter,  which  appeared  in  the  Spiritualist, 
15th  May,  1872,  says : — 

“I  visited  this  artist  (Mr.  Hudson)  and  told  him 
my  object  in  calling.  He  took  a  negative  of  me,  and 
it  turned  out  to  be  a  very  good  one,  viz.,  a  clear, 
sharp  negative — nothing  more.  I  requested  him  to 
try  another,  which  he  did,  taking  one  indiscriminately 
from  some  previously  used  and  dirty  plates.  After 
cleaning  it  in  my  presence,  he  poured  on  the  collodion 
and  placed  it  in  the  bath.  I  remained  in  the  dark- 


MR.  HUDSON’S  MEDIUMSHIP 


27 


room  all  the  time  the  plate  was  in  the  bath.  I  saw  it 
put  into  the  camera  frame  and  then  into  the  camera, 
which  had  been  previously  focussed  to  me,  and  all 
that  Mr.  Hudson  did  was  to  draw  up  the  slide  and 
uncover  the  lens.  I  saw  the  slide  drawn  up,  and, 
when  sitting,  saw  the  cap  or  cover  of  the  camera  re¬ 
moved,  and,  after  the  usual  exposure,  replaced  on  the 
lens.  I  then  accompanied  him  into  the  dark-room, 
and  saw  the  developing  solution  poured  on  the  plate, 
but  not  a  vestige  of  anything  appeared,  neither  my¬ 
self  nor  background,  but  a  semi-opaque  film  all  over 
the  plate,  as  if  it  had  been  somewhat  over  exposed.  I 
then  asked  for  another  attempt,  which  was  carried 
out  under  precisely  the  same  circumstances,  viz.,  that 
I  witnessed  the  whole  process  from  beginning  to  end. 
I  asked,  mentally,  that  if  it  were  possible,  the  spirit 
of  my  mother  would  come  and  stand  by  my  side,  and 
portray  her  presence,  to  do  so.  On  the  plate  is  a  fine 
female  figure,  draped  in  white,  standing  before  me, 
with  her  hand  resting  on  my  head.  The  drapery 
nearly  covers  the  whole  of  my  body,  leaving  only  the 
side  of  the  head  and  one  hand  visible.  I  am  certain 
Mr.  Hudson  played  no  tricks  on  this  occasion. 

Having  read  in  the  Journal  of  Photography  that 
the  editor  thought  it  very  unlikely  that  he  would  get 
any  spirit  picture  if  he  took  his  own  instrument  and 
plate,  I  took  the  hint  and  did  as  he  suggested.  I 
made  a  new  combination  of  lenses,  and  took  a  new 
camera  and  several  glass  plates;  and  I  did,  in  Mr. 
Hudson’s  room,  all  the  looking  on,  focussing  the  in¬ 
strument  to  the  sitter,  and  obtained,  in  the  same  man¬ 
ner  as  before,  a  fine  spirit-picture. 

This  was  repeated  with  another  sitter,  and  with 
like  success.  Collusion  or  trickery  was  altogether  out 
of  the  question.  After  the  last  attempt  1  felt  further 
induced  to  carry  out  the  optical  arrangement  for  the 
spiritual  photography ;  and,  knowing,  as  most  scien¬ 
tists  do,  that  the  visible  end  of  the  spectrum  is  the 
actinic,  I  resolved  to  exemplify  to  skeptics  that,  with 


28  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


such  an  instrument  as  I  now  had  made  and  would 
use,  we  could  take  portraits  of  sitters,  although  the 
colour  of  the  glass  was  such  as  only  in  the  strongest 
light  you  can  see  the  sitter  at  all.  And  no  one  was 
more  astonished  than  Mr.  Hudson,  after  seeing  me 
focus  the  instrument  to  a  lady  sitting  in  the  chair,  to 
find  not  only  a  sharp,  well  defined  negative,  with 
good  half-tone,  but  also  that  standing  by  the  lady  was 
a  fine  spirit  figure  draped  in  black  and  white.  Nor 
was  the  exposure  any  longer  than  with  the  usual 
lenses  of  same  aperture  and  focal  length,  namely  2Vi> 
lenses  with  2  in.  stops,  the  focus  from  the  back  lens 
5  in. 

We  tried  another  with,  if  possible,  better  success. 
The  sitter  was  a  little  child  belonging  to  the  lady  just 
alluded  to,  and  the  result  was  a  female  figure  stand¬ 
ing  by  the  child. 

I  think  Mr.  Hudson  was  quite  satisfied  that  other 
persons’  instruments  and  plates  answer  the  purpose 
just  as  well  as  his  own ;  and  if  he  is  not  satisfied  on 
that  score  I  am ;  for  not  a  move  did  he  make,  nor  a 
thing  did  he  do  to  these  my  own  plates  unobserved 
by  me,  and  there  is  no  room  for  any  transparency  to 
be  placed  in  the  frame  of  the  camera;  nor  was  there 
any  other  device  used  on  these  occasions. 

I  may  now  ask  the  skeptical  if  they  can  explain 
why  we  are  able  to  take  portraits  of  persons  through 
instruments  that  exclude  so  much  light  that  the  sitter 
is  scarcely  visible;  so  that  in  fact  you  can  no  more 
discern  with  human  eyes  the  details  of  the  features 
or  the  dress  of  the  sitters  than  you  can  discern  the 
disembodied  spirit.  When  the  scientists  explain  this 
they  perhaps  may  also  expalin  why  and  how  it  is 
the  spirit-dress — which  is  also  material  yet  intangible 
— impresses  itself  so  vividly  upon  the  photographic 
plate. 

I  am  now  carrying  on  experiments  upon  this  part 
of  the  spectrum,  and  am  convinced  that  much  may 


MR.  HUDSON’S  MEDIUMSHIP 


29 


and  will  be  discovered  that  is  useful  in  photography 
by  making  use  of  invisible  light. 

Thomas  Slater.” 

19  Leamington-road  Villas, 

Westbourne  Park,  W., 

May  8th,  1872. 

It  will  he  noted  also  that  two  or  three  things  hap¬ 
pened. 

1st.  Sometimes  the  sitter  is  not  photographed; 
something  obscures  the  sitter,  and  that  something  evi¬ 
dently  comes  between  the  sitter  and  the  lens,  and  cuts 
off  the  usual  rays  of  light  by  which  an  ordinary 
photograph  is  taken. 

2nd.  That  genuine  psychic  photographs  can  be 
obtained  by  other  cameras,  etc.,  than  that  of  the 
photographer. 

3rd.  That  while  not  absolutely  necessary  to  the 
manipulation  of  the  camera  and  the  processes  of 
photographing,  the  presence  of  a  specially  gifted  me¬ 
dium  is  necessary.  No  spirit  photograph,  or  psychic 
“extras”  can  be  obtained  without  such  sensitive  be¬ 
ing  in  the  room. 

The  following  is  an  extract  from  a  letter  written 
by  Mr.  Howitt  to  the  Spiritual  Magazine : — 

“Dear  Sir:  .  .  .  During  my  recent  short  and 

hurried  visit  to  London,  I  and  my  daughter  paid  a 
visit  to  Mr.  Hudson’s  studio,  and  through  the  me- 
diumship  of  Mr.  Herne — and  perhaps  of  Mr.  Hudson 
himself — obtained  two  photographs,  perfect  and  un¬ 
mistakable,  of  sons  of  mine,  who  passed  into  the  spirit 
world  years  ago.  They  promised  to  thus  show  them¬ 
selves,  if  possible. 


30  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


These  portraits  were  obtained  under  circumstances 
which  did  not  admit  of  deception.  Neither  Mr.  Hud¬ 
son  nor  Mr.  Herne  knew  who  we  were ;  Mr.  Herne* 
I  never  saw  before.  I  shut  him  up  in  the  recess  of 
the  back  of  the  studio  and  secured  the  door  on  the 
outside,  so  that  he  did  not — and  could  not — appear 
on  the  scene.  Mr.  Benjamin  Coleman,  who  was  with 
us,  and  myself,  took  the  plates  at  haphazard  from  a 
dusty  heap  of  such ;  and  Mr.  Coleman  went  into  the 
dark  chamber  with  the  photographer  and  took  every 
precaution  that  no  tricks  were  played  there.  But  the 
greatest  security  was  that  not  knowing  us  and  our 
visit  being  without  previous  announcement  or  ar¬ 
rangement,  the  photographer  could  by  no  means 
know  what  or  whom  we  might  be  expecting.  Mr. 
Coleman  himself  did  not  know  of  the  existence  of  one 
of  these  children.  Still  further,  there  was  no  existing 
likeness  of  one  of  them. 

On  sending  the  photographs  to  Mrs.  Howitt,  in 
Rome,  she  instantly  and  with  the  greatest  delight, 
recognized  the  truth  of  the  portraits.  The  same  was 
the  case  of  a  lady  who  had  known  these  boys  most  in¬ 
timately  for  years.  A  celebrated  and  most  reliable 
lady  medium  whom  they  had  spiritually  visited  many 
times,  at  once  recognized  them  perfectly,  and  as  re¬ 
sembling  a  spirit  sister,  whom  they  told  her  had  died 
in  infancy  long  before  themselves,  which  is  a  fact. 

It  was  my  full  intention  to  have  made  another  ex¬ 
periment  with  him,  but  found  it  impossible,  much  to 
my  regret.  I  feel  it,  however,  only  due  to  Mr.  Hud¬ 
son,  and  to  the  cause  of  spirit-photography,  to  say  that 
my  visit  to  him  was  thoroughly  satisfactory — that  by 
no  earthly  means  could  lie  have  presented  me  with 
the  photographic  likenesses  which  he  did;  and  that  I, 

"Mr.  Herne  was  then  a  well-known  physical  medium,  a 
professional.  At  this  period  of  experimenting  in  Great  Britain 
it  was  thought  necessary  to  have  a  physical  medium  present 
in  the  studio,  hence  Mr.  Herne’s  presence  as  narrated. — J.  C. 


MR.  HUDSON’S  MEDIUMSHIF 


31 


moreover,  feel  an  inward  and  strong  conviction  that 
he  is  an  honest  man.  Were  he  otherwise,  he  would, 
in  fact,  be  a  very  great  fool,  since  my  own  experience 
with  him  is  proof  positive  that  he  can  and  does  pro¬ 
duce  realities. 

I  may  add  that  the  two  portraits  in  question  are 
the  best  and  the  most  clearly  developed  of  any  I  have 
seen,  except  that  of  Annina  Carbomi,  obtained  by 
Chevalier  Kirkup,  in  Florence. 

Yours  faithfully,  William  IIowitt.” 

Dietenheim, 

Austrian  Tyrol, 

August  10,  1872. 

At  this  early  stage  of  the  manifestation  in  Great 
Britain  of  this  special  phase  of  physical  phenomena, 
it  was  not  at  all  surprising,  owing  to  the  very  nature 
of  the  claim — so  extraordinary — that  the  spirits  of 
the  departed  could  be  photographed,  that  the  easy 
and  ignorant  cry  of  “fraud”  was  so  soon  raised. 

Mr.  Howitt’s  eminence  as  a  thinker  and  writer,  and 
his  reputation  as  a  man  of  honour  must  be  at  once 
conceded.  His  experience  furnishes  the  best  possible 
answer  of  a  something  superior  to  all  tests,  viz.,  that 
of  receiving  two  clearly  identifiable  portraits.  Not 
only  that,  but  these  portraits  were  received  as  the  re¬ 
sult  of  a  previous  promise  obtained  from  the  departed 
through  a  sensitive.  Here  we  have  evidence  for  a 
super-normal  intelligence  at  work  in  the  production 
of  the  pictures. 

(a)  The  departed  spirits  suggest  through  a  me¬ 
dium  and  induce  their  father  to  go  and  have  a  sit- 


32  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


ting,  that  they  may  appear,  if  the  conditions  are  at  all 
favourable. 

(b)  They  succeed  in  appearing  and  are  photo¬ 
graphed,  and  of  one  of  them  no  portrait  was  ever 
taken  in  life,  and  of  the  other  no  similar  picture  or 
photograph  ever  existed. 

(c)  The  intelligences  testify  to  their  resem¬ 
blance  to  a  spirit  sister  who  had  passed  on  long  be¬ 
fore  themselves,  which  was  a  fact. 

(d)  The  conditions  under  which  these  photo¬ 
graphs  were  obtained,  even  though  the  operators  and 
the  sitter  were  disposed  to  connive  at  fraud — which 
was  impossible — were  such  that  the  proceedings  would 
not  account  for  the  results. 

About  this  time  there  were  others  besides  Mr.  Hud¬ 
son  by  or  through  whom  these  photographs  were  ob¬ 
tained.  I  only  briefly  notice  these,  if  for  nothing  else 
than  to  emphasise  the  rarity  of  the  mediumship. 
Chevalier  Kirup,  of  Turin,  had  been  getting  some,  in¬ 
deed  many,  well  defined  portraits,  some  of  which  were 
recognised.  The  spirit  Annina  had  appeared  in  cir¬ 
cles  in  which  materialisations  took  place  and  was  the 
spirit  to  which  Mr.  Howitt  referred  in  one  of  his  let¬ 
ters.  Of  others  nearer  at  home  who  obtained  photo¬ 
graphs  at  this  time  were  Mr.  Guppy,  Mr.  Jones,  Mr. 
Beattie,  a  retired  photographer  at  Clifton,  who,  in 
conjunction  with  a  Hr.  Thomson,  obtained  phantas¬ 
mal  figures,  human-like,  but  so  far  as  I  am  aware, 
nothing  in  the  way  of  a  recognisable  portrait. 

When  in  London,  in  the  year  1875,  acting  as  locum 


MR.  HUDSON’S  MEDIUMSHIP 


33 


tenens  for  Dr.  Mack,  in  Southampton  Row,  I  had  a 
sitting  with  Mr.  Hudson.  I  was  accompanied  by  the 
late  Dr.  James  McGeary  (Dr.  Mack)  for  that  pur¬ 
pose. 

From  a  psychic  standpoint  Mr.  Hudson  was  a 
puzzle,  that  is  to  say,  this  mediumship  came  to  him 
late  in  life.  (His  first  picture  came  in  1872.)  At  the 
time  I  visited  him  I  should  think  he  was  about  sixty 
years  of  age.  Mumler  and  Parkes  were  much  younger 
men,  more  in  their  vital  prime,  and  better  able  to 
throw  off  that  X  aura  or  nervauric  atmosphere  which 
is  the  special  endowment  of  these  mediums,  and  with¬ 
out  which,  spirit-photographs  cannot  be  obtained. 
Possibly  financial  cares,  which  his  mediumship  pro¬ 
voked,  contributed  to  his  aged  and  careworn  appear¬ 
ance.  He  was  most  certainly  not  a  man  of  astuteness 
or  competent  to  deceive  the  ablest  photographers  in 
London.  We  were  greeted  openly  and  would  have 
been  afforded  every  opportunity  for  investigation, 
had  we  had  the  time  at  our  disposal. 

The  spirit-photograph  received  by  Dr.  Mack  was 
that  of  the  face  and  the  upper  half  of  a  male  form 
draped  in  white  nebulous  stuff;  the  lower  part  of  the 
figure  disappearing,  leaving  the  background  clearly 
visible  below.  On  my  own  was  a  somewhat  similar 
figure,  showing  a  three-quarter  dark  face,  with  aqui¬ 
line  nose,  mouth  invisible,  hidden  with  moustache  and 
a  dark,  pointed  beard.  The  head,  shoulders  and  the 
body  were  clothed  in  more  opaque  white,  as  if  a  table¬ 
cloth  had  been  utilized  for  the  purpose.  Dr.  Mack 


34  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


appeared  to  recognize  the  spirit-photograph  which  he 
had  obtained.  As  to  the  one  which  I  received,  I  have 
never  been  able  to  obtain  a  clue  as  to  who  it  was.  I 


Fig.  5.  Tlie  Photograph  of  Mr.  T.  Martheze,  with  the  Psychic 
full-length  figure  of  his  Mother  thereon.  From  Miss 
Houghton’s  collection. 


regret  I  have  had  no  further  opportunities  of  sitting 
with  Mr.  Hudson. 

While  I  did  not  test  Mr.  Hudson’s  mediumship,  I 
knew  a  great  number  of  discerning  and  well-known 
persons  who  had  had  spirit-photographs  with  Hud- 


MR.  HUDSON’S  MEDIUMSHIP 


35 


son,  under  satisfactory  conditions.  Of  these  1  will 
mention  a  few  in  addition  to  those  to  whom  reference 
has  already  been  made:  Mr.  and  Mrs.  James  Burns, 
15  Southampton  Row;  Mr.  Win.  Tebb;  Mr.  E.  T. 
Bennett,  Editor  Christian  Spiritualist ;  Mr.  Thomas 
Shorter,  the  author ;  Mr.  Guppy  ;  Dr.  George  Sexton ; 
Mr.  C.  W.  Pearce;  and  Mr.  Thomas  Blyton,  London; 
Mr.  John  Lamont,  Mr.  Archibald  Lamont  and  Mrs. 
A.  Lamont,  of  Liverpool;  Mr.  T.  Martheze,  of  Brus¬ 
sels,  then  in  London,  a  very  able  and  enthusiastic  in¬ 
vestigator.  This  able  man  spent  a  very  great  deal  of 
time  and  money  in  his  careful  research.  lie  was  de¬ 
lighted  in  getting,  among  others,  a  clearly  identifiable 
photograph  of  his  mother.  He  told  me  the  whole 
story,  but  I  am  indebted  to  Miss  Houghton ’s  ‘  ‘  Chron¬ 
icles,”  for  the  portrait  which  is  given  here.  Mr. 
Andrew  Glendinning,*  was  among  those  who  ob¬ 
tained  some  of  these  photographs  with  Mr.  Hudson; 
Dr.  Thomson,  who,  like  Dr.  Alfred  Russel  Wallace, 
obtained  the  picture  of  his  mother:  Mr.  Beattie,  Mrs. 
Everitt,  and  Mr.  Adshead. 

The  wife  of  Mr.  Desmond  Fitzgerald,  M.  I.  C.  E., 
an  eminent  electrical  engineer  in  London,  and  at  one 
time  on  the  Council  of  the  then  National  Association 
of  Spiritualists,  obtained  a  fully  identified  portrait 
of  her  own  father.  The  lady  went  to  Hudson,  with 

*While  revising  the  Mss.  I  learned  that  the  veteran  reformer 
had  passed  into  the  land  of  spirits,  in  his  eighty-fourth  year, 
on  the  25th  of  October,  1910.  He  was  an  esteemed  corre¬ 
spondent  for  whom  I  had  great  reverence.— J.  C. 


36  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


her  daughter,  for  a  spirit-photograph,  but  she  did  not 
tell  the  photographer  either  what  she  wanted  or  the 
special  character  of  the  picture  she  expected  to  re- 


Fig.  6.  The  Photograph  of  Dr.  Alfred  Russel  Wallace,  and  the 
Spirit  Picture  of  his  Mother,  copied  from  Miss  Houghton’s 
Collection. 

ceive.  She  thought  of  her  father,  and  longed,  nat¬ 
urally,  to  have  his  photograph.  She  hoped  that  if  he 
came  he  would  appear  wearing  the  old  black  cap 
which  he  had  been  accustomed  to  wear  in  his  last  ill¬ 
ness.  She  neither  told  her  daughter,  who  was  with 
her,  nor  the  photographer,  of  this  test.  It  was  not 


MR.  HUDSON’S  MEDIUMSHIF 


37 


until  the  plate  was  developed  and  the  clear  features 
of  her  father  revealed,  that  she  made  known  the  test 
which  was  in  her  mind.  This  particular  spirit-photo¬ 
graph  was  published  in  the  Daily  Graphic,  in  June, 
1892,  and  was  reproduced  in  Mr.  Glendinning’s  in¬ 
teresting  work,  “The  Veil  Lifted,”  now  out  of  print. 

DR.  ALFRED  RUSSEL  WALLACE  AND  HIS  MOTHER 

Owing  to  the  importance  and  unique  standing  in 
science  and  literature  of  this  eminent  Naturalist,  I 
give  Dr.  Wallace’s  own  account*  slightly  abbreviated, 
of  this  remarkable  photograph  : — 

“On  March  14th,  1874,  I  went  to  Hudson’s  by  ap¬ 
pointment.  I  expected  if  I  got  any  spirit-picture  it 
would  be  that  of  my  eldest  brother,  in  whose  name 
messages  had  been  received  through  Mrs.  Guppy. 
Before  going  to  Hudson’s  I  sat  with  Mrs.  G.  and  had 
a  communication  by  raps  to  the  effect  that  my  mother 
would  appear  on  the  plate  if  she  could.  I  sat  three 
times,  always  choosing  my  own  position.  Each  time 
a  second  figure  appeared  on  the  plate  with 
me.  The  first  was  a  male  figure,  with  a  short  sword ; 
the  second  a  full  length  figure,  standing  a  few  feet, 
apparently,  on  one  side,  and  rather  behind  me,  look¬ 
ing  down  at  me,  and  holding  a  bunch  of  flowers.  At 
the  third  sitting,  after  placing  myself,  and  after  the 
prepared  plate  was  in  the  camera,  I  asked  if  the 
figure  would  come  close  to  me.  The  third  plate  ex¬ 
hibited  a  female  figure  standing  close  in  front  of  me, 
so  that  the  drapery  covers  the  lower  part  of  my  body. 
I  saw  all  the  plates  developed,  and  in  each  case  an 

*“Miracles  and  Modern  Spiritualism.”  By  Alfred  Russel 
Wallace,  D.C.L.,  LL.D.,  F.R.S.  George  Redwav,  London.  Foot¬ 
note  pp.  196,  197  and  198. 


38  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


additional  figure  started  out,  the  moment  the  develop¬ 
ing  fluid  was  poured  on,  while  my  portrait  did  not 
become  visible  till  perhaps  twenty  seconds  later.  I 
recognized  none  of  these  figures  in  the  negative ;  but 
the  moment  I  got  the  proofs  the  first  glance  showed 
me  that  the  third  plate  contained  an  unmistakable 
portrait  (  Fig.  6  )  of  my  mother — like  her  both  in 
features  and  expression ;  not  such  a  likeness  as  a  por¬ 
trait  taken  during  life,  but  a  somewhat  pensive, 
idealised  likeness — yet  still  to  me  an  unmistakable 
likeness.  The  second  figure  is  much  less  distinct ;  the 
face  is  looking  down ;  it  has  a  different  expression 
from  the  other,  so  that,  I  at  first  concluded  that,  it  was 
a  different  person.  On  sending  the  two  female  por¬ 
traits  to  my  sister,  she  though  the  second  was  much 
more  like  my  mother  than  the  third,  was,  in  fact,  a 
very  good  likeness,  though  indistinct,  while  the  third 
seemed  to  her  to  be  like  in  expression,  but  with  some¬ 
thing  wrong  about  the  mouth  and  chin.  This  was 
found  to  be  due  in  part  to  the  filling  up  of  spots  by 
the  photographer ;  but  when  the  picture  was  washed 
it  became  thickly  covered  with  whitish  spots,  but  a 
better  likeness  of  my  mother.  I  did  not  see  the  like¬ 
ness  in  the  second  picture  till  I  looked  at  it  with  a 
magnifying  glass,  and  I  at,  once  saw  a  remarkable 
special  feature  of  my  mother’s  natural  face,  an  un¬ 
usually  projecting  lower  lip  and  jaw.  This  was  most 
conspicuous  some  years  ago,  as  latterly  the  mouth  was 
somewhat  contracted.  A  photograph  taken  22  years 
before  shows  this  peculiarity  very  strongly,  and  cor¬ 
responds  well  with  the  second  picture,  in  which  the 
mouth  is  partly  open  and  the  lower  lip  projects 
greatly.  This  figure  had  always  given  me  the  im¬ 
pression  of  a  younger  person  than  that  in  the  third 
picture,  and  it  is  remarkable  that  they  correspond 
respectively  with  the  character  of  the  face  as  seen  in 
photographs  taken  at  intervals  of  about  twelve  years, 
yet  without  the  least  resemblance  to  these  photo¬ 
graphs  either  in  attitude  or  expression.  Both  figures 


MR.  HUDSON’S  MEDIUMSHIP 


39 


carry  a  bunch  of  flowers  exactly  in  the  same  way; 
and  it  is  worthy  of  notice  that  while  I  was  sitting  for 
the  second  picture  the  medium  said,  ‘  1  see  someone 
and  it  has  flowers,’  intimating  that  she  saw  flowers 
distinctly,  the  figure  only  faintly.  Here  then  are 
two  different  faces  representing  the  aspect  of  a  de¬ 
ceased  person’s  countenance  at  two  different  periods 
of  her  life.” 

Dismissing  as  untenable  the  probability  of  Hudson 
getting  access  to  portraits  of  the  deceased,  and  using 
them,  he  says: — 

‘‘I  see  no  escape  from  the  conclusion  that  some 
spiritual  being,  acquainted  with  my  mother’s  various 
aspects  during  life,  produced  these  recognisable  im¬ 
pressions  on  the  plate.” 

The  doctor  sent  a  copy  of  the  third  print — as  re¬ 
produced  here — to  his  brother  in  California,  and  re¬ 
ceived  the  following  reply: — 

“As  soon  as  1  opened  the  letter  1  looked  at  the 
photograph  attentively  and  recognized  your  face,  and 
remarked  that  the  other  one  was  something  like 
Fanny  (my  sister).  I  then  handed  it  across  the  table 
to  Mrs.  W.,  and  she  exclaimed  at  once,  ‘Why,  it’s 
your  mother!’  We  then  compared  it  with  a  photo¬ 
graph  of  her  we  had  here,  and  there  could  be  no 
doubt  as  to  the  general  resemblance,  but  it  has  an 
appearance  of  sickness  or  weariness.  Neither  my 
brother  or  his  wife  knew  anything  of  Spiritualism, 
and  both  were  prejudiced  against  it.  We  may  there¬ 
fore  accept  their  testimony  as  to  the  resemblance  tc 
my  mother,  in  confirmation  of  myself  and  my  sister, 
as  conclusive.” 

Concerning  the  next  picture,  the  late  Editor  of 
Light  wrote  Mr.  Hudson  the  following: 


40  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


“June  2,  1876.  Dear  Sir  :  You  ought  to  know  that 
the  photograph  taken  of  me  three  weeks  ago  is  a  re¬ 
markable  instance  of  a  recognised  portrait  of  a  per¬ 
sonal  friend.  You  will  find  it  described  by  me  at 


Fig.  7.  Photograph  of  “M.  A.  Oxon,”  and  Psychic  Portrait 
of  a  Friend,  taken  from  Miss  Houghton’s  Collection. 

length  in  Human  Nature  of  this  month,  and  it  forms 
the  subject  of  a  Spirit  Teaching  which  I  am  about  to 
forward  to  the  Spiritualist.  It  is  the  first  case  in 
which  I  have  secured  the  likeness  of  a  friend,  though 
I  have  several  times  succeeded,  under  test  conditions, 
of  getting  ‘spirit  pictures’  in  your  studio.  The  pres¬ 
ent  picture  is  by  no  means  one  of  your  best;  indeed, 
the  image  is  rudely  made,  and  the  photo  is  not  good. 


MR.  HUDSON’S  MEDIUMSHIP 


41 


But  the  face  is  there,  and  that  makes  it  valuable,  i 
am  glad  to  add  this  testimony  to  that  which  I  have 
already  printed  in  your  favour. 

M.  A.  Oxon.  ” 

MR.  J.  TRAILL  TAYLOR  S  TESTIMONY 

A  gentleman  who  went  to  Mr.  Hudson  obtained  a 
spirit-photograph,  and,  having  recognised  the  spirit- 
portrait,  he  published  an  account  of  it,  and  being 
much  elated,  he  showed  it  to  Mr.  John  Beattie,  of 
Clifton,  Bristol.  That  gentleman  pronounced  it  to 
he  a  fraud,  and  Mr.  Hudson  got  into  much  disfavour 
in  consequence.  In  June,  1873,  a  gentleman  called 
on  Hudson  to  have  sittings.  He  wished  to  go  through 
all  the  processes  of  photography  himself,  and  to  this 
Mr.  Hudson  consented.  In  a  few  days  afterwards, 
Mr.  Hudson  received  a  leter  signed  “John  Bruce 
Beattie,”  saying  that  the  spirit-picture  was  that  of  a 
nephew,  and  that  he  had  sent  it  to  the  mother  for 
identification.  He  subsequently  sent  a  long  account  of 
the  whole  procedure  to  the  British  Journal  of  Photog¬ 
raphy,  and  as  a  result  he  obtained  several  portraits, 
by  which  he  was  convinced,  in  addition  to  his  expe¬ 
riences  elsewhere,  of 

“the  possibility  of  photographing  forms  invisible  to 
ordinary  eyesight,  and  forms  which  indicate  the  pres¬ 
ence  of  unseen,  intelligent  beings  of  some  sort  con¬ 
trolling  the  forms  so  photographed.” 

Further  than  this,  I  do  not  propose  to  quote  the 
long  article.  I  will,  however,  reproduce — somewhat 
summarised — the  comment's  of  Mr.  J.  Traill  Taylor, 


42  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


then  the  editor  of  that  journal.  Both  Mr.  Beattie’s 
article  and  Mr.  Taylor’s  remarks  appeared  in  the 
issue  for  August,  1873.  The  editor  says : — 

“The  main  facts,  once  admitted,  the  question 
arises :  By  what  means  are  these  figures  formed  upon 
the  collodion  film  ?  The  first  impulse  is  to  attribute  it 
to  a  double  exposure  on  the  part  of  Hudson,  the  pho¬ 
tographer.  But  here  a  difficulty  interposes — Mr. 
Hudson  need  not  be  present  at  all,  indeed  it  is  but  an 
act  of  justice  to  that  gentleman  to  say  that  when  we 
were  trying  experiments  in  his  studio  to  determine 
the  truth  of  the  ‘so-called  spirit-photography,’  we  ob¬ 
tained  entire  possession  of  his  dark-room,  employed 
our  own  collodion  and  plates,  and  at  no  time  during 
the  preparation,  exposure  or  development  of  the  pic¬ 
tures  was  Mr.  Hudson  within  ten  feet  of  the  camera, 
or  the  dark-room.  Appearances  of  an  abnormal  kind 
did  certainly  show  on  several  plates,  by  whatever 
means  they  were  caused.  The  photographer  had  noth¬ 
ing  whatever  to  do  with  their  production.  Neither 
will  the  ‘previously  used  plate’  theory  apply  in  this 
case,  for  the  plates  were  quite  new,  and  were  obtained 
a  few  hours  before  they  were  used,  and  apart  from 
the  fact  of  their  never  having  been  out  of  our  pos¬ 
session,  the  package  was  only  undone  just  before  the 
operations  were  commenced.  ’  ’ 

In  closing  this  chapter,  I  have  dealt  pretty  fully 
with  the  evidences  in  favour  of  spirit-photography  at 
this  period.  Mrs.  H.  Sidgwick — without  personal 
knowledge — ridiculed  Professor  Wallace’s  account  of 
getting  his  own  mother’s  photograph,  maintaining 
that  Hudson  certainly  produced  bogus  spirit-photo- 
graphs,  giving  as  an  instance  of  “fraud,”  the  fact 
that  a  spirit-picture  was  no  other  than  a  photograph 


MR.  HUDSON’S  MEDIUMSHH 


43 


of  Herne,  the  medium,  dressed  for  the  part.  In  a 
similar  way,  this  eminent  psychical  researcher  con¬ 
demned  Mumler’s  psychic  photograph  as  the  portrait 
of  a  living  man.  Actual  experience  and  reliable  testi¬ 
mony  of  competent  experts  go  for  nothing  because 
this  clever  woman  assumes  fraud.  “Phantasms  of 
the  Living,”  existed  before  they  were  established  by 
the  Society  for  Psychical  Research.  “The  double” 
has  been  photographed.  Herne  was  not  dressed  and 
posed  as  a  “spirit”  for  someone  else,  but  was  photo¬ 
graphed  while  in  trance,  and  his  “double”  in  auric 
garments,  appeared  (as  the  “extra”)  standing  by  his 
side. 


CHAPTER  111 


PARKES,  REEVES  AND  BUGUET 

As  we  have  seen,  when  dealing  with  Mr.  Hudson’s 
mediumship,  there  were  others  at  this  period  who  suc¬ 
ceeded  in  obtaining,  by  the  aid  of  spirits,  photographs 
of  men  and  things.  In  fact,  there  was  a  little  “boom” 
in  spirit  photography  from  1872  till  1877.  Among 
the  accredited  were  Messrs.  Parkes  and  Reeves.  Both 
were  contemporary  with  Hudson,  Beattie,  Thomson, 
Slater,  Jones,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Guppy,  in  England; 
Mumler,  in  the  States;  and  Buguet,  in  France,  be¬ 
sides  a  few  others  of  lesser  note. 

Neither  were  professional  mediums.  I  did  not 
know  either  personally,  but  I  knew  several  who  had 
sittings  with  them.  Mr.  James  Bowman,  a  well- 
known  photographer  in  Glasgow,  whom  I  knew,  and 
whose  skill  in  photographic  matters  could  be  fully 
depended  on,  was  among  those  who  tested  Mr.  Parkes, 
and  was  fully  satisfied. 

I  can  only  make  a  few  extracts  from  the  statements 
of  Mrs.  J.  W.  Jackson,  wife  of  the  eminent  anthro¬ 
pologist;  Dr.  Sexton;  “M.  A.  Oxon  ”,  and  Mr.  E.  W. 
Wallis,  the  present  editor  of  Light,  all  of  whom  I 
knew,  and  in  whose  testimony  I  have  the  fullest  confi¬ 
dence. 


44 


PARKES,  REEVES  AND  BUGUET 


45 


Mrs.  Jackson,  writing  to  the  Medium,  24th  May, 
1872,  says: 

“Mr.  Dear  Mr.  Burns:  I  went  to  Mr.  Reeves,  in 
York  Road,  who  is  not  a  professional  photographer, 
and  therefore  has  no  interest  or  motive  for  producing 
astounding  results.  When  the  very  simple  arrange¬ 
ments  were  made,  I  sat  down,  and  in  a  few  seconds 
longer  than  is  usual  for  ordinary  photos,  I  distinctly 
recognized  the  face  of  my  husband  standing  over  me. 
The  expression  and  the  chiselling  of  the  features,  con¬ 
tour  of  the  head,  the  curling  length  of  beard,  and 
outline  of  form,  were  as  perfect  as  when  he  was  on 
earth.  There  could  be  no  imposition  in  this  instance, 
for  Mr.  Reeves  never  saw  or  knew  anything  of  my 
husband  during  his  life. 

A  few  days  afterwards  I  took  a  lady  friend,  who 
sat  for  her  photograph  also,  a  stranger  to  our  kind 
friend  Mr.  Reeves.  On  the  other  side  of  the  small' 
table  at  which  the  lady  was  seated,  when  the  plate 
was  taken  from  the  camera  there  appeared  two  spirit 
forms,  which  were  immediately  recognized  as  two  of 
my  friend’s  ancestors  who  had  left  tins  earth  many 
years  ago.  E.  B.  Jackson.” 

I  suppose  the  latter  were  identified  from  family 
portraits,  but  Mrs.  Jackson  would  not  have  made  this 
statement  except  on  good  ground. 

For  a  time  Mr.  Parkes  and  Mr.  Reeves  experi¬ 
mented  together,  uniting  their  mediumship  to  get  re¬ 
sults.  Mr.  Reeves  emigrated  to  Canada,  and  Mr. 
Parkes  continued  to  take  pictures.  He  had  sometimes 
the  presence  of  other  mediums,  but  as  often  as  not 
proceeded  without  such  aid.  The  photographs  ob¬ 
tained  when  these  two  earnest  men  were  together, 
were  in  many  ways  different  in  style  from  those  after 


46  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


wards  secured.  Without  the  presence  of  Mr.  Reeves, 
or  his  own  wife,  Mrs.  Parkes,  Mr.  Parkes  could  not 
get  full  form  and  clearly  defined  pictures,  only  white 
patches  and  cloudy  appearances,  like  the  Clifton 
photos  of  Mr.  Beattie. 

Dr.  Sexton  (who  obtained  through  Mr.  Parkes,  too, 
“a  likeness  of  the  late  Mr.  J.  W.  Jackson,  who  had 
passed  away  just  before”)  gave  the  following  account 
in  the  Christian  Spiritualist,  January,  1875 : — 

“As  a  dark-room  is  indispensable  in  photography, 
and  as  in  the  case  of  spirit-photographs,  there  appears 
to  he  a  necessity  for  the  photographer  to  have  the 
plate  in  his  possession  in  some  such  room,  for  the  pur¬ 
pose  of  magnetising  it  previous  to  its  being  placed  in 
the  camera,  a  suspicion  naturally  arises  that  this  of¬ 
fers  an  opportunity  for  playing  a  trick,  and  thus  im¬ 
posing  upon  the  sitter.  Mr.  Parkes  had  an  aperture 
made  in  the  wall  of  this  room  through  which  the  spec¬ 
tator  can  see  the  plate  through  its  entire  process.  A 
few  days  since,  we  selected  a  plate  from  a  packet;  this 
we  marked  to  be  used  on  the  occasion,  and  never  lost 
sight  of  it  up  till  the  time  that  there  appeared  upon 
it,  in  conjunction  with  our  own  portrait,  that  of  a 
spirit  figure.  As  to  the  camera,  it  remained  in  the 
room  all  the  evening,  and  was  open  to  the  inspection 
of  anyone.  We  may  remark  here  that,  being  evening, 
the  portrait  was  taken  by  means  of  a  magnesium 
light,  which  was  found  to  work  admirably  on  the  oc¬ 
casion.  Spirit  photography  is,  therefore,  an  estab¬ 
lished  fact,  beyond  the  possibility  of  dispute,  and  Mr. 
Parkes  is  one  of  the  most  successful  mediums  by 
means  of  which  this  wonderful  phenomena  is  now  ac¬ 
complished.  ” 

Mr.  Parkes  not  only  magnetised  the  plates  but  the 


1 


PARKES,  REEVES  AND  BUGUET  47 

camera.  He  did  this  in  consequence  of  the  directions 
which  he  had  received.  It  appeared  to  be  one  of  the 
conditions  necessary,  lie  had  evidently  great  faith 
in  the  process.  So  we  see  that  at  this  early  stage  of 
spirit-photography  in  the  United  Kingdom,  “magnet¬ 
ising”  was  one  of  the  processes  which  was  adopted 
and  one  of  the  conditions  to  he  obeyed  in  order  to  get 
these  photos. 

Among  those  who  wrote  to  “M.  A.  Oxon,  ”  was  the 
father  of  Mr.  Parkes.  This  gentleman  was  opposed 
to  both  spiritualism  and  the  spiritistic  theory  con¬ 
cerning  these  portraits.  I  give  an  extract  from  his 
letter,  which  appeared  in  Human  Nature,  9th  Feb., 
1875  — 

“I  freely  admit  that  I  was,  and  probably  still  am, 
an  unbeliever  in  what  may  be  said  to  be  compre¬ 
hended  in  spirit  photography.  I  cannot  believe  in  the 
presence  of  spirits,  but  that  the  likenesses  of  the  de¬ 
parted  are  produced  and  faithfully  represented  I 
have  now  not  the  least  doubt. 

This  was  followed  by  his  opinion  as  to  the  char¬ 
acter  of  his  son,  and  testimony  to  the  fact  of  having 
himself  sat,  and  obtained  the  likeness  of  his  father. 

“There  is  no  mistaking  the  likeness,  and  my  family 
all  immediately  recognized  it.  Others  of  our  kin¬ 
dred  sat,  and  similar  results  have  followed. 

Dismissing  the  thought  of  trickery,  he  concludes: — 

“I  look  forward  with  some  uiterest  to  the  time 
when  the  subject  will  be  well  ventilated,  and  which  I 
think  will  end  in  a  natural  solution. 


48  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


It  will  be  well  to  bear  this  shrewd  observation  in 
mind  later  on. 

“M.  A.  Oxon  ”,  who  examined  110  of  these  photo¬ 
graphs,  of  which  he  gives  a  full  report,  in  Human 
Nature,  says: — 

“A  considerable  number  of  the  earlier  pictures 
taken  by  Messrs.  Parkes  and  Reeves  were  allegorical. 
One  of  the  earliest,  taken  in  April,  1872,  shows  Mr. 
Reeves’  father  holding  up  a  cross  above  his  head,  and 
displaying  an  open  book  on  which  is  written  ‘Holy 
Bible.  ’  Another  shows  a  cloud  of  light  covering  two- 
thirds  of  the  picture,  and  made  up  of  the  strangest 
medley  of  heads  and  arms,  and  flashes  of  light,  with  a 
distinct  cross  in  the  centre.  Another  in  which  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Everitt  are  the  sitters,  taken  June  8,  1872, 
is  a  symbolical  picture  of  a  very  curious  nature.  Mr. 
Everitt ’s  head  is  surrounded  with  a  fillet  on  which 
Truth  is  inscribed,  while  three  pencils  of  light  dart 
up  from  it.  There  are  at  least  two  figures  in  the  pic¬ 
ture  which  blot  out  Mrs.  Everitt  altogether.  In  a 
later  photograph  in  which  Mr.  Burns  is  the  sitter,  is 
a  giant  hand,  of  which  the  thumb  is  half  the  length 
of  the  sitter’s  body.  It  is  just  as  if  a  luminous  hand 
had  been  projected  or  flashed  on  the  plate  without 
any  regard  to  focus.  Another  very  startling  picture 
is  one  which  shows  on  a  dark  background  a  huge 
luminous  crucifix.  Then  we  have  angels  with  ortho¬ 
dox  wings,  hovering  over  some  sitters.  One  is  a  very 
striking  model ;  the  face  of  great  beauty  and  of  pure 
classical  design.  The  figure  floats  with  extended  arm 
over  the  sitter,  and  below  it,  almost  on  the  ground, 
appear  nine  faces,  and  strangest  of  all,  close  by  the 
sitter’s  head,  a  large  eye,  with  beams  of  light  pro¬ 
ceeding  from  it.  The  eye  is  larger  than  the  head  of 
the  sitter,  and  the  whole  picture  presents  a  most  cu¬ 
rious  appearance.  Some  show  mere  faces;  some, 
heads ;  some  again,  whole  bodies  floating  in  the  air ; 


PARKE'S,  REEVES  AND  BUGUET 


49 


and  some,  partially  formed  bodies  projected  on  the 
plate,  apparently  at  haphazard.” 

At  this  early  stage  in  spirit-photography,  it  dawned 
on  some  of  the  leading  thinkers  and  investigators  con¬ 
cerned,  that  while  Intelligences  in  the  invisible  have 
been  at  work — as  claimed  by  them,  through  mediums 
— the  psychic  “extras”  thus  projected,  or  which  came 
on  the  plates,  were  not  the  photographs  of  spirits,  but 
rather  of  plastic  designs,  crude  portraits  or  paint¬ 
ings,  scrolls,  and  other  more  or  less  weird  fancies. 
Amid  all  this  experimenting,  with  most  conclusive 
evidence  of  genuineness,  there  were,  however,  ob¬ 
tained  many  identifiable  portraits  of  the  departed,  as 
they  once  appeared  when  in  the  body. 

As  I  have  known  Mr.  Wallis  (Secretary  of  the 
London  Spiritual  Alliance),  who  is  a  well-known  lec¬ 
turer,  and  writer  on  Spiritualism,  for  over  thirty 
years,  I  thought  it  best  to  elicit  his  opinions  and  ex¬ 
periences — if  any — in  connection  with  psychic  pho¬ 
tography.  In  reply,  dated  12th  September,  1910,  he 
says : — 

‘  ‘  The  most  satisfactory  instance  of  spirit  photog¬ 
raphy  that  1  have  been  associated  with  occurred  with 
Mr.  Joseph  Cotterell.  lie  was  instructed  by  auto¬ 
matic  writing — through  his  own  hand — to  go  to  Mr. 
Parkes,  who  was  at  that  time  obtaining  spirit  photo¬ 
graphs,  as  his  departed  wife  desired  to  give  him  her 
picture.  An  appointment  was  made  without  divulg¬ 
ing  to  Mr.  Parkes  what  was  expected.  When  the  day 
arrived  it  was  very  foggy,  and  Mr.  Cotterell  was  dis¬ 
inclined  to  make  the  journey  from  Vauxhall  to  Bow. 
T  urged  him  to  keep  his  appointment,  and  suggested 


50  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


that  by  the  time  he  reached  his  destination  the  fog 
might  lift.  On  his  arrival  the  weather  had  much  im¬ 
proved,  and  several  photographs  were  taken,  one  of 
which  Mr.  Cotterell  recognised  as  the  portrait  of  his 
departed  wife.  He  wrote  to  each  of  her  three  sisters, 
then  living  in  different  parts  of  the  country,  and — 
without  comment — enclosed  with  each  letter  a  print 
of  the  spirit  photograph.  From  each  sister  he  re¬ 
ceived  answers,  and  they  all  desired  to  know  how  he 
obtained  the  picture  of  their  sister — thus  admitting 
the  recognition — but  when  he  explained  how  it  was 
taken,  they  were  equally  unanimous  in  expressing  the 
opinion  that  it  was  the  devil’s  work — forgetting  that 
in  that  case  their  beloved  sister  must  be  acting  as  his 
Satanic  Majesty’s  agent! 

It  has  always  seemed  to  me  that  the  real  value  of 
spirit  photographs  is  in  the  recognition — provided 
that  there  is  no  possibility  of  faking  up  an  already 
existing  portrait.  In  Mr.  Cotterell’s  case  no  such 
portrait  existed.” 

This  is  a  case  where  the  sitter  was  influenced — in 
fact  directed — by  an  Intelligence  in  the  Invisible  to 
go  and  be  photographed,  with  the  result  that  he  ob¬ 
tained  his  late  wife’s  picture.  In  this  and  in  similar 
cases,  we  get  a  glimpse  of  the  directing  powers  behind 
— shall  we  say — these  psychic  phenomena ;  and  with 
this  I  conclude  my  reference  to  Messrs.  Parkes  and 
Reeves. 


BUGUET  MEDIUM  SHIP 

In  dealing  with  M.  Buguet,  I  am  compelled  to  rely 
on  the  experiences  and  the  opinions  of  others.  I 
knew  Mr.  W.  H.  Harrison,  Editor  of  the  Spiritualist , 
as  a  man  of  scientific  attainments  and  an  expert  pho- 


PARKES,  REEVES  AND  BUGUET 


51 


tographer.  Most  ot'  those  to  whom  he  refers  I  knew 
by  reputation,  as  among  the  most  sincere,  intellec¬ 
tual,  and  careful  investigators  of  psycho-physics  at 
this  period.  Mr.  Harrison,  in  The  Spiritualist,  26th 
June,  1874,  says: — 

“On  Thursday,  last  week,  1  was  invited,  with  other 
friends,  to  observe  the  manipulation  in  the  studio  of 
M.  Buguet,  spirit-photographer,  of  Paris,  who  is  tak¬ 
ing  pictures  at  33  Baker  Street.  Mrs.  Macdougall 
Gregory,  Mrs.  Ross  Church,  Mrs.  Showers,  Mr.  Cole¬ 
man,  Mr.  Ivlmey,  Mr.  Martheze,  and  other  friends 
were  present. 

I  offered  to  take  the  negative  myself,  he  merely 
standing  by  to  get  the  influence  of  his  mediumship 
upon  the  plate.  This  lie  declined,  saying  that  the 
manifestations  were  more  likely  to  be  successful  if  he 
handled  the  plates  and  the  chemicals  throughout. 

After  trying  one  picture,  on  which  no  spirits  came, 
he  began  to  take  another  as  follows :  He  cut  a  corner 
with  a  jagged  fracture  of  a  bare  plate  of  glass,  and 
handed  the  little  piece  to  the  sitter,  who  was  a  friend 
of  Mr.  Coleman.  The  object  of  cutting  off  the  piece 
was  to  show  by  the  separated  corner  afterwards  fit¬ 
ting  the  plate  with  its  finished  picture,  that  the  plate 
had  not  been  changed  during  the  operations.  From 
this  point,  preparation  in  dark-room,  its  examination 
and  all  procedure  to  putting  the  plate  in  the  dark 
slide,  which  he  ‘had  previously  opened  and  examined’ 
is  graphically  described  by  Mr.  Harrison. 

1  examined  the  camera  and  the  lens  thoroughly, 
taking  them  to  pieces  to  a  considerable  extent.  I  took 
part  in  the  focusing,  and  saw  only  the  sitter  on  tin1 
ground  glass — no  spirits. 

During  the  exposure  of  the  plate,  M.  Buguet  stood 
near  the  camera,  with  his  head  leaning  against  the 
wall ;  he  seemed  to  go  into  semi-trance. 

Afterwards  I  followed  him,  with  the  dark  slide  in 


52  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 

his  hand,  to  tip  developing  room,  saw  the  plate  re¬ 
moved  from  the  slide,  the  developer  immediately 
poured  over  it,  and  two  spirits  made  their  appearance 
on  the  plate  behind  the  sitter.  Their  features  came 
out  distinctly ;  it  was  not  a  good  photograph,  artisti¬ 
cally  speaking;  the  chemicals  were  working  badly, 
and  threw  down  much  loose  silver  deposit. 

The  operations  all  through  lasted  from  seven  to  ten 
minutes. 

Invisible  pictures  may  be  painted  on  a  background 
with  sulphate  of  quinine,  aesculine,  or  other  fluores¬ 
cent  substance,  which  invisible  pictures  can  be  photo¬ 
graphed  so  as  to  appear  in  any  negative  taken  before 
that  background.  The  photograph  now  under  notice 
was  not  one  of  that  nature. 

The  background  was  the  ordinary  wall  paper  of  the 
private  room  in  which  the  photographs  were  taken. 
The  spirits  on  the  negative  and  the  finished  prints 
have  not  been  recognised. 

Obviously,  it  is  not  possible  to  say  much  about 
spirit  photography  on  the  slender  experience  of  one 
experiment,  but  I  do  not  know  how  to  produce  by 
artificial  means  a  similar  picture  under  like  condi¬ 
tions.” 

In  the  foregoing  we  have  all  the  watchful  proced¬ 
ure  of  a  skilled,  scientific  observer,  recorded  with 
modesty  in  statement. 

Out  of  the  many  identified  “extras”  obtained 
through  this  medium  I  produce  one. 

Lady  Caithness,  formerly  of  Barragill  Castle,  Wick, 
Scotland,  but  who  principally  resided  in  Paris,  sent 
an  account  of  bar  experiences  to  the  Spiritualist ,  24th 
July,  1874,  from  which  I  summarise  the  following : — 

“I  experience  so  much  happiness  every  time  I  look 
at  the  photograph  obtained  through  the  celebrated 


PARKEfl  REEVES  AND  BUGUET 


53 


French  photographer,  Monsieur  Ed.  Buguet,  that  I 
feel  bound  ...  to  make  the  fact  known. 

One  lady  in  Edinburgh  to  whom  I  sent  copies 
has  written  me — ‘  I  recognised  every  one ;  darling 


Fig.  8.  The  Count  de  Medina  Pomar,  with  the  Psychic  Portrait 
of  his  Father,  General  the  Count  de  Medina  Pomar.  The 
above  is  copied  from  Human  Nature. 


Ellen  (my  sister)  is  most  wonderful,  and  your  late 
husband  and  father  not  less  so.  ’  .  .  .  Percy  came 

to  me  at  four  o’clock  in  the  morning  saying,  ‘I  can¬ 
not  sleep  for  thinking  of  those  photos;’  I  truly  echo 
the  words  and  endorse  them. 

I  went  with  my  son,  Count  de  Medina  Pomar,  both 
of  us  perfect  strangers  to  Mons.  Buguet,  and  found 


54  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


him  as  courteous  and  amiable  as  Mr.  Burns  had  de¬ 
scribed  him  in  the  Medium.” 

After  describing  the  almost  empty  room  and  the 
procedure  of  posing  and  taking  the  sitters,  Lady 
Caithness  says: — 

“After  a  short  absence  from  the  room,  at  the  close 
of  every  pose,  Mons.  Buguet  returned,  bringing  the 
negatives  for  our  inspection;  he  had  an  anxious,  con¬ 
cerned  look,  until  rejoiced  by  our  recognizing,  even 
on  the  glass,  some  dear  and  well-remembered  features 
long  passed  away  from  our  midst.  Sometimes  no 
spirit  form  whatever  was  visible  on  the  glass,  but  be¬ 
tween  my  son  and  myself  we  were  successful  thir¬ 
teen  times ;  and  out  of  the  thirteen  ive  distinctly  rec¬ 
ognized  the  spirit  forms  of  five  dear  ones  whom  we 
had  never  hoped  to  see  again  on  earth.  One  of  these, 
my  father,  appears  no  less  than  three  times;  once 
with  my  son,  once  with  me,  and  once  as  if  floating 
over  us  both,  and  enveloping  us  With  part  of  his 
fluidic  drapery.  Strange  to  say,  in  order  that  there 
may  be  no  doubt  about  the  identity  of  my  late  hus¬ 
band,  he  brings  in  his  hand  the  family  crest  and 
emblem. 

To  those  who  still  hesitate  to  believe  ...  I 
will  point  only  to  this  extraordinary  and  beautiful 
test,  and  to  these  perfect-  likenesses,  recognised  by 
each  and  every  friend  who  has  seen  them,  and  again 
bid  them  remember  that  we  were  perfect  strangers  to 
the  medium,  who  had  never  heard  of  us  before. 

I  must  also  mention  one  other  wonderful  circum¬ 
stance,  and  that  is  the  appearance  of  the  late  Allan 
Kardec,  on  one  of  my  cartes.  This  is  most  satisfac¬ 
tory  to  me  in  more  ways  than  one,  as  it  also  gives  me 
a  proof  that  he  is  near,  and  watching  over  me  in  the 
work  I  have  undertaken,  of  translating  one  of  his 
wonderful  books,  La  Gcnese,  into  English  and  in  mak¬ 
ing  known  his  other  works  in  England  and  America. 


PARKES,  REEVES  AND  BUGUET 


I  have  gathered  a  large  collection  of  spirit  photo¬ 
graphs,  commencing  last  year  in  America,  through 
the  aid  of  Mr.  Mumler,  and  have  now  completed  the 
album  with  those  of  Mons.  Buguet.  Amongst  the  lat¬ 
ter  I  have  five  others  of  Allan  Kardee — three  with  his 
widow,  one  with  Miss  Blackwell,  and  one  with  the 
celebrated  French  astronomer  and  talented  author, 
Mons.  Camille  Flammarion.  Allan  Kardee ’s  ap¬ 
pearance  on  my  own  carte  forms  the  sixth  .... 
The  test  I  allude  to  is  most  conclusive,  for  each  is  per¬ 
fectly  distinct  in  appearance  and  position  from  the 
other,  and  yet  all  perfect  likenesses  of  the  great  phil¬ 
osopher.  Marie  Caithness.” 

Lady  Caithness,  Countess  de  Pomar,  was  a  woman 
of  marked  ability,  author  of  several  works  of  psychi¬ 
cal  interest,  and  her  salon  was  the  centre  to  which 
flocked  the  brilliant  intellects  of  Europe.  In  the 
Palace  there  was  a  large  lecture-hall,  in  which  Mrs. 
Emma  Hardinge  Britten,  as  well  as  many  able  men 
anti  women,  delivered  inspired  and  cultured  lectures. 
Owing  to  her  culture  and  eminent  position,  I  have 
given  prominence  to  her  testimony. 

Among  the  well-known  writers  of  this  period  Mr.  S. 
C.  Hall,  F.  S.  A.,  stands  in  the  first  rank.  For  many 
years  he  was  editor  of  the  Art  Journal.  Besides  be¬ 
ing  an  authority  on  Art,  Literature,  Science  and  Phil¬ 
anthropy,  he  was  well  able  to  write  on  Spiritualism, 
which  he  investigated  with  care.  He  wrote  to  the 
Medium  and  Daybreak,  4th  Sept.,  1874,  and  from  his 
contribution — which  I  have  curtailed — I  take  the  fol¬ 
lowing  : — 


“I  wish  to  state  a  simple  fact.  .  .  .  While  Mr. 


56  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


Buguet  was  in  London  I  went  to  him.  I  was  not  only 
not  expecting  any  result,  I  was  more  than  suspicious. 
He  produced  of  me  three  photographs ;  in  each  there 
was  a  form  besides  my  own.  There  was  no  medium* 
present.  I  watched  his  proceedings  narrowly. 

Of  the  three,  I  could  not  help  recognizing  my 
father ;  I  will  tell  you  why.  The  face  is  so  obscure, 
that  I  cannot  determine  the  likeness  by  the  features ; 
but  the  face  is  round,  the  head  bald,  there  are  neither 
beard,  moustache  nor  whisker.  That  was  exactly  my 
father’s  head.  But  there  are  thousands  of  heads  to 
which  a  similar  description  would  apply.  There  was 
one  peculiarity,  however,  which  not  one  in  a  thousand 
could  have  had ;  I  explain  it.  My  father,  Colonel 
Hall,  was  an  old  officer,  and  he  wore  the  queue  up  to 
his  ‘death;’  it  was  buried  with  him.  That  was  in  his 
time,  sixty  or  seventy  years  ago,  the  ‘common  head 
costume’  of  soldier  officers,  but  it  has  long  gone  out. 
Now,  in  the  photograph  to  which  I  refer,  this  queue 
is  perfectly  distinct — as  clear  as  if  a  brush  had 
painted  it  in;  white  (he  was  a  very  aged  man  when 
lie  died,  and  had  been  an  officer  more  than  sixty 
years)  and  proceeding  from  the  back  of  the  head 
down  the  back  of  the  body — -  standing  out  indeed  and 
apart  from  the  shoulders.  I  ought  to  add  that  on  an¬ 
other  of  the  photographs  the  features  are  much  more 
distinct ;  but  that  is  a  full  face,  and  of  course  the 
queue  is  not  seen.  S.  C.  Hall.” 

In  the  foregoing,  Mr.  S.  C.  Hall  obtains  two  photo¬ 
graphs,  which  he  identifies  as  those  of  his  father. 
First,  from  the  form,  the  pose,  and  the  queue ,  the 
features  not  being  distinct;  second,  from  a  full 
face  photograph  in  which  the  features  were  cpiite  dis- 

*With  Hudson,  Messrs.  Herne  and  Williams,  sometimes  Mrs. 
Guppy,  and  other  mediumistic  persons  were  present  at  sit¬ 
tings. — J.  C. 


PARKES,  REEVES  AND  BUGUET 


57 


tinet.  Tlie  late  S.  C.  Hall  had  the  eye  of  an  artist  and 
the  judgment  of  an  intelligent  man  and  as  such  could 
not  be  classed  with  those  who  would  recognize  ‘a 
broom  and  a  sheet’  photographed  for  the  picture  of  a 
relative. 

Mrs.  H.  Sidgwick,  in  her  article  on  Spirit-Photo¬ 
graphs,  in  the  S.  P.  R.  Proc.  p.  280,  in  her  anxiety  to 
make  a  case,  ignores  the  second  photograph  and  as¬ 
sumes  that  Mr.  Hall  was  deceived  in  basing  his  recog¬ 
nition  on  the  pigtail,  the  queue  “practically  the  only 
point  of  identification.”  This  procedure — whether 
deliberately  or  unintentionally  carried  out — wan  a 
suppression  of  the  truth,  and  an  omission  of  a  most 
important  statement  of  the  late  S.  C.  Hall.  One  lias 
to  ignore  the  writings  of  persons,  posing  as  scientifi¬ 
cally  fair,  yet  so  misleading  in  statements.  The  same 
lady  condemns  another  photo  as  fraudulent — it  might 
be  for  all  I  know — as  the  “extra”  therein  was 
either  that  of  or  resembled  a  living  person.  That  it 
resembled  a  living  person  there  is  no  doubt.  All 
doubles  are  photographs  of  living  persons.  In  this 
case  it  was  a  matter  of  disputed  identity  in  which 
one  of  the  groups  concerned  were  mistaken.  “Mis¬ 
taken  identity”  is  no  new  thing. 

This  French  medium  obtained  among  other  recog¬ 
nised  ‘extras’  fully  identifiable  portraits  of  ‘The 
Double.’  I  give  the  account  here,  as  well  as  the  evi¬ 
dence  of  the  Rev.  Stainton  Moses  as  to  the  fact  of  his 
own  double  being  photographed  by  Mons.  Buguet. 
Summarised  from  Human  Nature,  Vol.  ix.,  1875: — 


58  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


“Hotel  del ’ Athenee,  Rue  Scribe. 

Paris. 

I.  the  undersigned  William  Julian ,  Count  de  Bul¬ 
let,  certify  to  having  obtained  at  M.  Buguet’s  Photog¬ 
rapher,  Boulevard  de  Montmartre,  by  ordinary 
methods  of  photography,  at  several  sittings,  the  fol¬ 
lowing  portraits : 

1 .  The  double  of  my  sister,  now  living  at  Balti¬ 
more,  U.  S.  A.  2.  My  uncle.  3.  M.  de  Layman,  an 
intimate  friend.  4.  One  of  my  aunts.  In  assurance 
of  which  I  freely  sign  the  present  attestation. 

Paris,  Dec.  10,  1874. 

G.  J.  de  Bullet.  ” 

“M.  A.  Oxon”  was  so  much  interested  that  he 
sought  information  on  the  following  points: — 1. 
Whether  the  sister  was  asleep  at  the  time  the  photo¬ 
graph  was  taken ;  2.  Whether  he  has  seen  the  double 
at  any  time:  3.  Whether  the  likeness  was  recognised 
by  others;  4.  Whether  he  had  ever  tried  to  impress 
his  thoughts  on  his  sister  by  will  power;  5.  Whether 
the  phenomenon  occurred  more  than  once. 

To  the  foregoing  questions,  I  summarise  the  Count 
de  Bullet’s  replies,  which  were  dated  Paris,  13th 
Jan.,  1875. 

“1.  It  is  probable  that  my  sister  was  asleep.  I 
calculated  the  hour. 

2.  I  have  never  seen  her  double  ht  any  time,  al¬ 
though  I  have  felt  her  impression  by  intuition,  always 
at  a  time  when  she  would  be  likely  to  be  asleep. 

3.  The  likenesses  are  so  striking  that  everyone 
who  knows  her  has  instantly  recognised  it.  I  have 
had  her  likeness  in  eight  different  positions.  There 
is  not  the  slightest  doubt  about  the  likeness. 

4.  T  have  never  tried  to  impress  thoughts  on  the 


PARKES,  REEVES  AND  BUGUET 


59 


mind  of  my  sister.  Between  her  and  me  since  child¬ 
hood  there  has  always  existed  the  deepest  affection. 

5.  When  I  pose  before  the  camera  I  simply  put 
the  question  I  wish,  and  ask  her  to  come  if  possible. 
On  one  plate  she  comes  with  a  card  in  her  hands,  with 
her  answer  to  me  written  quite  distinctly.  The  writ¬ 
ing  is  in  French,  except  when  she  does  not  want  M. 
Buguet  to  know,  then  it  is  in  English.” 

The  foregoing  was  followed  by  a  long  account  full 
of  interesting  details  giving  procedure  at  Buguet ’s, 
and  the  obtaining  of  these  remarkable  photographs 
of  persons  living  1200  miles  away. 

With  regard  to  the  photographing  of  the  double  of 
“M.  A.  Oxon,”  I  would  gladly  give  his  account  in 
full,  not  only  as  testifying  to  the  fact  of  the  double 
being  photographed  at  a  distance,  but  owing  to  the 
great  value  and  high  esteem  in  which  the  late  “M. 
A.  Oxon,”  is  held  by  all  Spiritualists  at  home  and 
abroad,  but  space  forbids.  From  his  own  articles  in 
Human  Nature,  pp.  97-99,  I  summarise  the  follow¬ 
ing  : — 

‘  ‘  The  action  of  the  incarnated  spirit  beyond  the 
limits  of  the  body  which  it  occupies  is  a  familiar  fact 
to  me.  ...  It  seemed  then  that  a  plan  might  be 
arranged  to  obtain  on  the  sensitised  plate  a  perma¬ 
nent  record  of  the  presence  of  an  embodied  spirit, 
apart  from  its  physical  body.  (Italics  are  mine.  J.  C.) 
Such  an  arrangement  was  actually  made  by  my 
friend,  Mr.  Gledstanes,  of  Paris.” 

As  the  outcome  of  this  arrangement,  Mr.  Gled¬ 
stanes  posed  in  M.  Buguet ’s  studio.  Sunday  morn- 


60  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


ing,  31st  January,  1875,  at‘11.15  a.  m.,  or  11.5,  Lon¬ 
don  time. 

‘‘On  the  first  plate  exposed  appeared  a  faint  and 
indistinct  image  of  my  face.  A  second  exposure  at 
11.15  (Paris)  produced  a  perfect  result.  The  first 
half  of  the  plate  contains  a  decided  likeness  of  me ; 
the  second  half  one  of  an  old  man  with  a  very  strik¬ 
ing  head  and  commanding  figure.  The  portrait  of  me 
is  quite  unmistakable,  no  one  who  lias  seen  me  in  the 
flesh  could  fail  to  recognise  it.  The  eyes  are  closed 
and  the  face  bears  the  indefinable  look  of  trance.  The 
body  is  shrouded  in  fluidic  drapery.  The  only  per¬ 
sons  present  in  M.  Buguet’s  studio,  besides  himself, 
were  Mr.  Gledstanes,  the  sitter,  and  the  Count  de 
Bullet. 

I  turn  now  to  my  own  part  in  the  experiment. 
At  the  time  when  the  photographs  were  taken  I  was 
lying  in  bed  in  London,  in  a  state  of  deep  trance.  I 
had  a  half  consciousness  of  awaking  at  10.25  a.  m. 
I  fell  into  a  state  of  dreamy  listlessness  between  sleep 
and  waking.  The  sound  of  the  church  bells  fell 
upon  my  ears  and  I  had  a  flash  of  recollection  of  the 
experiment  proposed  for  eleven  o’clock.  Complete 
unconsciousness  supervened  before  that  hour.  When 
I  regained  consciousness  it  was  11.47  am.  About 
this  interval  I  have  no  recollection  whatever.  It  is 
an  absolute  blank,  as  is  all  the  time  during  which  I 
am  completely  entranced.  So  it  was  on  this  occa¬ 
sion.” 

“M.  A.  Oxon,”  had  other  experiences  of  a  similar 
kind,  which  T  will  not  reproduce,  but  conclude  this 
pari  with  a  few  words  of  his  succinct  claim : — 

“I  have  recorded  with  literal  exactness  the  facts 
connected  with  this  remarkable  phenomenon.  All 
comes  to  this.  Here  is  the  photograph  of  the  spirit 
of  a  living  person  taken  in  Paris  while  the  body  in 


PARKES,  REEVES  AND  BUGUET 


61 


which  it  is  incarnated  is  in  London.  I  may  be  ex¬ 
cused  if  1  estimate  highly  the  value  of  this  experi¬ 
ment.  I  may  lay  personal  stress  on  the  evidence 
which,  so  far  as  it  concerns  this  world,  is  perfect, 
and  which  so  far  as  it  concerns  the  invisible  oper¬ 
ators  is  assured  to  me  by  those  whom  I  have  never 
found  tripping  yet.  .  .  .  That  it  is  a  fact  I  am 

as  certain  as  1  am  of  anything.” 

I  cannot  conclude  these  testimonies  without  empha¬ 
sizing  the  fact  of  the  “double,”  which,  as  we  have 
seen,  has  been  a  feature  in  the  photography  of  Mum- 
ler,  Evans,  Hudson  and  Buguet.  Mumler  left  Bos¬ 
ton  owing  to  the  picture  of  living  men  as  an 
“extra.”  Evans  was  “suspect”  owing  to  the 
“double”  of  a  gentleman  asleep  by  a  stove  and  out 
of  reach  of  the  camera,  being  photographed ;  Hudson, 
for  the  double  of  Herne ;  and  Buguet,  for  the  photo¬ 
graph  of  a  living  person,  which  was  taken  as  the 
spirit  picture  of  one  Mons.  Edouard  Poiret. 

Of  120  photographs  examined  by  “M.  A.  Oxon,  ” 
he  furnishes  evidence  of  the  recognition  of  forty.  He 
could  have  given  many  more,  but  from  the  nature  of 
the  photographs  and  the  standing  of  the  witnesses, 
so  to  speak,  forty  attested  photographs  would  be 
most  convincing  to  those  who  really  understand  the 
value  of  evidence. 

In  M.  Buguet ’s  case,  we  have  the  fly  in  the  oint¬ 
ment;  the  counterfeit  among  the  coins.  His  con¬ 
duct  is  among  the  causes  which  helped  the  man  in 
the  armchair,  who  has  never  experimented,  to  say, 
“All  the  ointment  is  bad,  all  the  coins  are  counter- 


62  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


t'eit ;  all  your  psycho-physical  phenomena  are  fraudu¬ 
lent,  and  all  your  mediums  are  imposters.”  As  to 
others,  whose  bona-fides  we  have  no  reason  to  doubt, 
the  charges  of  fraud  came  from  those  who  assumed 
fraud — as  an  hypothesis — but  when  it  came  to  evi¬ 
dence  before  the  courts,  as  in  Mumler’s  case,  the 
hypothesis  and  the  facts  DID  NOT  SQUARE. 

Mediumship  neither  implies  manliness,  honesty  nor 
spiritual  worth,  and  in  this  case  Buguet’s  medium- 
ship  did  not  save  him  from  being  a  worthless  fellow. 
Still,  I  am  sorry  for  him,  as  he  is  an  outstanding  in¬ 
stance  of  how  the  weak  and  the  foolish  are  exploited, 
and  how  the  lust  for  gold — with  the  hope  of  salva¬ 
tion  thrown  in — has  tempted  men  not  so  innocent 
and  inexperienced  as  our  Father  Adam  to  put  exped¬ 
iency  before  principle.  This  self-confessed  knave 
could  not  and  did  not  explain  how  all  his  spirit  pic¬ 
tures  were  obtained,  and  his  demonstrations  only 
went  to  show  how  some  could  be  made. 

The  photographs  which  “M.  A.  Oxon”  had  dealt 
with  were  within  two  classes,  all  others  being  re¬ 
jected.  The  first  consisted  “of  those  only  recognised 
by  one  or  more  persons  (generally  more  than  one)  as 
portraits  of  friends  who  had  departed  from  this  life.” 
The  second  “included  only  pictures  taken  under  test 
conditions.”  The  latter  were  valuable  only  so  far, 
as  the  testing  conditions  meet  all  the  requirements  of 
skilled  photographers. 

When  the  history  of  Buguet’s  “Confessions,”  and 
trial  and  subsequent  repentance  are  fully  considered, 


PARKES,  REEVES  AND  BUGUET 


63 


it  will  be  found  that  he  was  more  fool  than  knave. 
That  he  was  both  needs  not  to  be  denied. 

The  Revue  Spirite  had  flouted  the  Catholic-  Church 
in  the  person  of  the  Archbishop  of  Toulouse,  as  per¬ 
haps  Spiritualistic  organs  everywhere  are  liable  to 
flout  priestly  intolerance  and  theological  tyranny  of 
all  kinds,  irrespective  of  the  particular  creed  or 
Church  to  which  the  priests  belong.  Such  insult  by 
the  Revue  Spirite  was  not  to  be  tolerated  by  an  all- 
powerful  Church,  and  that  in  a  country  where — at 
this  time — the  whole  civil  and  military  forces  were 
at  her  command.  Mons.  Leymarie,  the  editor  of  the 
paper,  was  tried  and  condemned.  Buguet  was  a 
pawn  in  the  game  for  the  double  purpose  of  inflicting 
injury  on  Spiritualists,  and  punishing  the  editor  as 
well,  who  was  condemned  and  sentenced  equally  with 
Buguet,  to  twelve  months’  imprisonment. 

These  trials  were  organised  by  the  emissaries  of 
the  then  State  Church  of  France.  Buguet ’s  trial  did 
not  and  could  not  efface  the  facts  of  genuine  psychic- 
photography.  Still,  it  must  be  admitted  that  his 
Confession  vitiates  all  that  can  be  said  in  favour  of 
his  pictures  recognised  as  genuine.  But  as  no  refer¬ 
ence  to  the  subject  of  spirit-photography  could  be 
complete  without  calling  the  attention  of  the  reader 
to  M.  Buguet;  his  pictures,  the  class  of  people  who 
testified,  and  the  trial  in  which  he  stood  as  a  self- 
condemned  trickster,  T  feel  it  my  duty  to  give  an 
outline  of  the  whole  miserable  business. 


64  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


Of  him,  “M.  A.  Oxon,  ”  in  a  letter  to  Human  Na¬ 
ture,  20tli  Aug.  1875,  says: — 

“The  poor  wretch  was  bribed  by  promises  of  im¬ 
munity  and  told  his  tale.  His  judges  had  not  even 
the  honesty  to  keep  faith  with  him,  and  he  found 
himself  in  a  dungeon,  in  spite  of  his  false  swearing.” 

Since  the  trial  of  M.  Buguet,  the  authorities  of  the 
Holy  Mother  Church,  through  various  agents  and  in 
the  Press,  have  acknowledged  the  genuineness  of 
spiritistic  phenomena,  but  condemn  both  the  prac¬ 
tice  and  their  investigation  outside  the  pale  of  the 
Church. 


CHAPTER  IV 


MR.  DAVID  DUGUID’S  MEDIUMSH1P 

It  would  be  impossible,  within  my  limited  space  to 
do  justice  to  either  Mr.  Duguid  or  his  mediumship. 
He  was  born  in  1832  and  died  in  1907.  1  became 

acquainted  with  him  in  1878,  shortly  after  “Hafed” 
had  been  published.  I  knew  not  only  Mr.  Duguid, 
but  all  the  members  of  the  “Hafed  Circle,”  and  have 
been  several  times  witness  to  his  trance  painting 
gifts.  Out  of  the  hundreds  who  could  bear  testimony, 
I  have  selected  a  few  and  these  mainly  from  those 
whom  I  knew  as  possessing  undoubted  authority  and 
fitness.  My  remarks  are  confined  to  Spirit  Photog¬ 
raphy,  which  was  only  one  phase  out  of  the  psycho¬ 
physical  phenomena  which  took  place  in  his  presence. 
The  characteristic  feature  was  not  so  much  the  num¬ 
ber  of  identifiable  psychic  portraits  as  the  evidence — 
scientifically  demonstrated — of  the  Fact  of  Spirit 
Photography.  In  addition  to  tins,  through  him  were 
obtained  the  clearest  possible  cases  of  what  are  called 
in  these  pages  “Psychographs,”  i,  e.,  pictures  ob¬ 
tained  without  sunlight,  phos,  lens  or  camera. 

In  giving  this  original  and  hitherto  unpublished 
photograph,  I  do  so  not  only  because  of  its  genuine- 

65 


66  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


ness,  but  of  its  history.  No  one  can  say  whether  it 
is  a  true  likeness  or  not  of  the  reputed  Ilafed,  seeing 


Fig.  9.  Photograph  of  the  late  Mr.  David  Duguid,  the  Glas¬ 
gow  Trance  Painting  Medium,  at  the  age  of  Sixty-two. 
taken  after  the  Series  of  Test  Experiments  conducted  by 
Mr.  J.  Trail  Taylor,  in  London. 

that  this  spirit  claims  to  have  lived  in  the  body  when 
Jesus  lived  and  taught  on  earth. 


MR.  DUGIJID’S  MEDIUMSHIP 


67 


Mr.  David  Duguid  was  not  a  cultured  man ;  that 
cannot  be  denied.  Of  the  volumes  of  information 


Fig.  10.  Photograph  of  Mr.  Andrew  Glendinning,  and  Mr. 
James  Robertson,  and  Psychic  Portrait  of  “Hafed,”  taken 
on  marked  plates  supplied  by  Mr.  Glendinning. 

which  fell  from  his  lips,  “Hafed,  Prince  of  Persia,’’ 
is  a  notable  instance ;  unique  in  literature.  The  con- 


68  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


tents  of  the  volume  and  the  manner  of  its  production, 
and  the  “direct”  illustrations  which  were  undoubt- 


Fig.  11.  Photograph  of  Mr.  James  Robertson  and  Mr.  Andrew 
Glendinning  and  the  earliest  Test  Psychic  Portrait  of  “The 
Cyprian  Priestess,”  taken  in  Glasgow.  Mr.  Robertson 
was  present  but  is  Cut  Out  of  the  Print.  Both  Messrs. 
Robertson  and  Glendinning  Superintended  the  experiment, 
Mr.  Duguid  merely  making  the  Exposure.  Two  other  Test 
Pictures  of  this  “Extra”  are  produced  further  on. 


edly  beyond  the  intellectual  capacity  of  the  medium, 
are  striking  evidence  of  the  existence  of  Intelligences 
in  the  Invisible. 


MR.  DUGUID’S  MEDIUMSHIP 


69 


Mr.  James  Robertson,  being  present  at  and  taking 
part  in  the  majority  of  cases  when  Mr.  Duguid  took 
psychic  photographs,  is  my  first,  important  witness. 

Writing  me  on  6th  August,  1910,  from  5  Granby 
Terrace,  Hillhead,  Glasgow,  Mr.  James  Robertson 
says : — 

Dear  Mr.  Coates, — I  may  not  be  able  to  compre¬ 
hend  the  process  by  which  spirits  are  able  to  impress 
their  forms  or  thoughts  on  a  sensitive  plate,  but  as  I 
believe  the  spirit  body  is  a  substance  and  substances 
can  be  photographed,  I  have  no  difficulty  in  accept¬ 
ing  the  fact  that  eyes  do  not  catch  all  this  universe 
presents — we  have  neither  the  microscopic  nor  the 
telescopic  power — but  who  would  deny  what  these 
discoveries  have  brought  to  view?  We  see  in  the 
process  of  materialisation  solid  forms  built  up,  which 
we  can  touch ;  at  other  times  these  forms  are  vapoury 
and  we  can  see  through  them,  and  so  by  degrees  our 
sight  fails  to  take  in  all  there  is.  What  to  our  eyes 
becomes  invisible  is  caught  up  by  the  more  subtle  eye 
of  the  instrument.  All  this  will  be  found  to  be  in 
harmony  with  the  laws  of  Nature,  and  experiments 
made  outside  the  domain  of  the  psychic  will  come 
into  touch  and  accord  with  what  has  been  done  by  us. 

In  David  Duguid  we  had  a  rare  instrument  for 
giving  forth  that  aura  through  which  the  unseen 
world  could  manifest.  He  readily  lent  himself  to 
all  experiments  which  were  suggested  and  took  as 
deep  an  interest  as  anyone.  The  phenomena  in  his 
case  gradually  developed.  There  were  but  hints  at 
first,  some  vague  markings  it  may  he,  but  sufficient 
to  show  that  something  was  added  from  an  external 
source.  The  success  was  so  limited  at  first  that  the 
matter  was  discarded  for  some  years  till  the  arrival 
of  a  friend  from  New  Zealand,  who  was  an  ardent 
investigator,  and  this  gentleman  induced  Mr.  Duguid 
to  sit  with  him.  The  experiment  was  made  in  my 


70  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


dining-room,  and  a  form  came  clearly  on  the  plate. 
The  face  was  quite  distinct,  though  the  drapery  was 
shadowy  and  we  could  see  through  it  the  knobs  of 
the  shutters  in  front  of  which  the  plate  was  exposed. 
A  new  interest  was  created  after  this  and  several 
experiments  were  made  in  my  garden  with  good  re¬ 
sults.  I  can  remember  the  fervour  with  which  I  wit¬ 
nessed  the  development  of  the  plates  and  the  satis¬ 
faction  when  we  were  rewarded.  My  old  friend,  Mr. 
Glendinning,  was  soon  informed  of  our  success,  and 
he  eagerly  entered  with  us  on  our  investigations.  All 
these  were  made  with  the  greatest  carefulness,  not 
that  we  had  any  doubt  of  Mr.  Duguid’s  bona  fides, 
but  that  we  wished  to  be  in  a  position  to  speak  posi¬ 
tively  that  there  was  no  room  for  fraud.  The  same 
care  we  took  was  afterwards  carried  through  by  Mr. 
Traill  Taylor  when  he  was  asked  to  give  the  weight 
of  Lis  authority  as  to  the  genuine  nature  of  psychic 
photography.  Nothing  more  forcible  could  be  penned 
than  Mr.  Taylor’s  report,  which  was  reproduced  in 
Mr.  Glendinning ’s  ‘Veil  Lifted.’  ” 

“When  carrying  out  these  experiments,  Mr.  Du- 
guid  did  not  complain  much  of  loss  of  power,  but 
ever  after  there  seemed  to  be  a  great  drain  on  his 
constitution,  when  he  lent  himself  to  these  sittings, 
ft  seemed  to  me  that  his  ‘Controls’  after  Mr.  Tay¬ 
lor’s  scientific  report,  felt  that  he  need  not  give  him¬ 
self  more  to  this  work.  His  honesty  and  the  facts  of 
psychic  photography  had  been  established. 

‘  ‘  One  of  the  most  effective  tests  of  spirit  power  and 
spirit  identity  given  through  Mr.  Diiguid’s  medium- 
ship  was  obtained  by  a  well-known  legal  gentleman 
in  Edinburgh,  who  had  long  desired  the  portrait  of 
his  deceased  son.  Nothing  could  be  more  satisfactor¬ 
ily  attested.  The  parents  ever  spoke  in  the  highest 
terms  of  gratitude  for  the  blessing  granted  to  them. 
As  years  went  on  they  were  again  and  again  fa¬ 
voured  with  other  pictures  of  the  boy,  grown-up,  but 
still  revealing  the  features  so  loved.  This  stands  out 


MR.  DUGUID’S  MEDIUMSHIF 


71 


as  one  clear  bit  of  evidence  that  the  dead,  so-called, 
can  make  their  impress  on  the  sensitive  plate.  The 
gentleman  who  got  the  picture  was  no  weakminded 
enthusiast,  but  a  man  of  culture,  trained  long  in 
criminal  investigation.  Mr.  Taylor’s  support  built 
up  to  the  full  the  great  fact  that  in  the  presence  of 
some  human  sensitives  it  is  possible  for  those  gone 
on  to  give  consolation  to  those  left  behind. 

“Mr.  David  Duguid  was  in  my  service  for  over 
twenty  years.  1  knew  the  man  thoroughly ;  a  more 
honest,  modest  person — with  ideals  of  truth  and 
right — I  never  met. 

Yours  fraternally, 

•Jas.  Robertson.” 

T  have  known  Mr.  James  Robertson  intimately  for 
33  years,  and  can  safely  say  that  no  man  is  better 
known  throughout  Scotland  as  a  shrewd,  far-seeing 
man  of  business.  For  nearly  forty  years  he  has  been 
an  investigator  of  Modern  Spiritualism,  wields  a  vig¬ 
orous  pen,  and  has  never  hesitated  to  advocate  what¬ 
ever  he  knows  to  be  true.  He  has  found  leisure,  amid 
his  great  business  concerns,  to  lecture  and  write  on 
Spiritualism.  In  journalistic  circles  he  is  held  in 
high  esteem.  Were  it  not  for  the  facts  of  modern 
Spiritualism,  Mr.  James  Robertson  would  have  been 
a  hardheaded,  dour,  Scotch  Agnostic — a  Materialist 
— without  guile.  No  one  living  is  better  qualified  to 
testify  to  Mr.  Duguid ’s  character  and  gifts. 

It  was  the  good  fortune  of  Mr.  Glendinning  to  get 
beside  us  on  one  occasion  a  most  exquisite  face  of  a 
lady,  full  of  each  charm  and  grace  that  make  up  the 
womanly  character.  The  term  “angelic”  might  be 


72  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


applied  to  it.  Such  a  face  the  seraphic  painters  have 
ofttimes  drawn ;  a  Raphael  might  have  painted  it. 


Fig.  12.  My  Copy  of  the  Enlarged  Psychic  Portrait  of  The 
Cyprian  Priestess,  from  “The  Veil  Lifted,”  concerning 
which  I  take  from  page  92  the  following,  contributed  by 
Mr.  James  Robertson, 


From  somewhere  must  have  come  this  form.  And 
Spiritualism  demonstrates  what  Mr.  Justice  Groves, 
in  the  “Co-relation  of  Physical  Forces”  gives  as  a 
probable  theory :  myriads  of  organised  beings  may 
exist,  imperceptible  to  our  vision,  even  if  we  were 
among  them. 


MR.  DUGUID’S  MEDIUMSHIF 


73 


Mr.  Andrew  Glendinning,  to  whom  Mr.  James  Rob¬ 
ertson  refers,  was  a  man  among  men,  who  lived  a  full 
and  strenuous  life.  I  knew  of  no  one  in  connection 
with  Spiritualism  who  possessed  bis  ripe  experience. 
He  was  a  life-long  total  abstainer,  and  advocated 
temperance  when  to  do  so  was  not  fashionable.  As 
a  friend  of  William  Lloyd  Garrison,  and  of  Elihu 
Burritt,  the  learned  blacksmith,  he  was  an  anti-slav¬ 
ery  man  in  1850-60,  when  it  was  fashionable  to  find 
excuses  for  slavery.  He  waged  war  not  only  on  ne¬ 
gro  slavery  but  on  the  white  man’s  slavery  to  intem¬ 
perance,  debasing  passions,  intolerant  theology  which 
made  infidels,  on  materialism,  then  fashionable  in 
scientific  circles.  Over  thirty  years  ago,  he  and  an¬ 
other  were  pioneers  of  the  vegetarian  and  fruitarian 
restaurants  in  London,  which  helped  to  familiarise 
thousands  with  the  physical  benefits  and  economies 
of  reformed  diet.  Amid  his  many  interests  in  life,  he 
found  time  to  investigate  Spiritualism,  which  came  to 
him  47  years  ago  in  Scotland.  When  satisfied  he  had 
found  something  real,  he  did  not  hesitate  to  state  the 
facts  as  he  knew  them. 

In  his  letter  to  me,  dated  Dalston,  23rd  April, 
1910,  giving  me  permission  to  use  certain  extracts 
from  “The  Veil  Lifted,”  he  authorised  me  to  say  he 
had  nothing  to  withdraw  as  to  his  good  opinion  of  the 
late  Mr.  J.  Traill  Taylor  and  Mr.  David  Duguid ;  the 
thoroughness  of  the  London  test  experiments;  and 
said  “When  I  reprint,  T  shall  put  emphasis  on  this.” 
Our  friend  did  not  live  to  carry  out  this  proposal. 


74  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


Writing  on  19th  August,  1910,  and  thanking  me  for 
a  number  of  the  Parkes  and  Duguid  photographs 
which  I  submitted  to  him,  he  says: — 

“It  may  interest  you  to  learn  that  at  a  private  se¬ 
ance  here,  on  17th  inst.,  Mr.  J.  Traill  Taylor  materi¬ 
alised,  also  my  wife,  my  daughter  and  many  other 
friends.  The  Rev.  ITaraldiur  Nielsson,  of  Reykjavik, 
Iceland,  was  with  us,  and  he  conversed  in  the  Danish 
language  with  one  of  the  materialised  forms,  who  was 
known  to  him  in  his  earth  life. 

“The  Rev.  Mr.  Nielsson  visited  Mr.  Wyllie  and  got 
a  photo,  on  which  is  the  face  of  his  uncle,  the  late 
Bishop  Savinsson.  This  was  in  fulfilment  of  a  prom¬ 
ise.  The  face  of  the  Bishop  is  quite  distinct.  Mr. 
Nielsson  has  kindly  given  me  a  print  of  it.” 

The  foregoing  were  among  the  last  letters  received 
from  Mr.  Glendinning,  who  passed  into  the  Higher 
Life  in  October,  1910. 

Referring  to  the  above,  Mr.  Andrew  Glendin¬ 
ning,  in  “The  Veil  Lifted,”  (pp.  143-144)  says — 

“  ...  Another  child’s  portrait  was  got  unex¬ 

pectedly  at  a  test  seance  in  April,  1892.  The  ar¬ 
rangements  and  operations  were  under  my  superin¬ 
tendence.  I  invited  a  lady  (Mrs.  J.  N.  Anderson), 
to  take  a  place  near  the  sitter,  in  order  to  try  whether 
her  mediumistic  power  would  aid  in  the  experiment. 

“  I  was  vexed  at  not  getting  the  result  I  wanted, 
but  soon  I  had  cause  for  gladness  in  the  joy  which 
the  portrait  obtained  brought  to  the  hearts  of  the 
child’s  father  and  mother.  The  child’s  dress  exhibits 
what  was  not  known  to  any  person  outside  of  Mr. 
Anderson’s  family.  That  test  is  of  a  kind  to  impress 
the  mother’s  mind.  Previous  to  the  child’s  depart¬ 
ure,  lie  was  lying  cold  in  bed,  when  his  mother  took 
from  a  drawer  a  nightdress  of  one  of  her  older  boys 


MR.  DUGUID’S  MEDIUMSHIF 


75 


and  put  it  on  the  ailing  child.  This  nightdress  had 
a  certain  kind  of  frill  round  the  neckband,  and  that 
nightdress,  with  its  long  frill,  and  long  sleeves,  is 
represented  in  the  photograph.  There  was  no  picture 
in  existence  from  which  the  photograph  could  have 


Fig.  13.  The  Original  Photograph  of  Mrs.  .T.  N.  Anderson,  and 
Mrs.  Andrew  Glendinning,  and  the  Psychic  Portrait  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Anderson’s  Child.  Mr.  David  Duguid,  medium. 

been  copied.  The  likeness  is  not  only  attested  by  the 
parents,  but  by  friends  of  the  family,  and  by  Mr. 
James  Robertson,  who  had  often  seen  the  hoy. 

“Someone  may  ask  how  was  the  photograph  of  the 
child  obtained,  seeing  he  was  too  young  to  come  un¬ 
aided  to  stand  before  the  camera?  An  interesting 


7(j  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


question,  no  doubt.  To  it  I  reply,  I  do  not  know ;  I 
am  stating  facts,  not  trying  to  explain.  ’  ’ 

The  facts  concerning  the  above  were  well  known 
in  Glasgow,  where  Mr.  and  Mrs.  James  Anderson  re¬ 
sided.  I  wrote  Mr.  Robertson,  who  not  only  sent  me 
the  original  print  produced  above,  but  the  statement : 
“This  was  taken  in  my  dining-room  in  Glasgow,  and 
is  the  portrait  of  Mr.  James  Anderson’s  child,  whom 
I  knew.  It  is  a  good  likeness.” 

This  is  one  of  the  many  well  substantiated  cases 
obtained  through  Mr.  Duguid  in  the  months  of  April 
and  May,  1892,  when  several  sittings  were  held  in 
Glasgow,  under  strict  test  conditions. 

Mr.  J.  Traill  Taylor  was  fortunate  enough  to  have 
Mr.  David  Duguid  introduced  to  him  by  Mr.  An¬ 
drew  Glendinning,  who  was,  in  fact,  one  of  the  “two 
extremely  hardheaded  Glasgow  merchants,  gentlemen 
of  commercial  eminence  and  probity,”  mentioned 
as  among  the  witnesses  present.  Mr.  James  Robert¬ 
son,  of  Glasgow,  was  another,  when  Mr.  Taylor  con¬ 
ducted  his  experiments.  So  struck  was  Mr.  Taylor 
with  the  results  of  these  with  Mr.  Duguid  that  he 
read  a  paper  on  “Spirit  Photography,  with  Remarks 
on  Fluorescence,”  before  a  meeting  of  the  London 
and  Provincial  Photographic  Association.  The  lec¬ 
ture,  and  discussion  which  followed,  were  printed  in' 
full  in  the  British  Journal  of  Photography.  (Vol. 
xl.,  No.  1715.  March  17th,  1893.)  and  afterwards  in 
Mr.  Glendinning ’s  work,  “The  Veil  Lifted,”  pub¬ 
lished  in  1894. 


MR.  DUGUID’S  MEDIUMSHIP 


77 


While  the  paper  is  of  deepest  interest,  much  of  it 
was  really  intended  for  the  consideration  of  practical 
photographers,  and  need  not  be  repeated  here.  Mr. 
J.  Traill  Taylor  was  admittedly  head  of  the  profes¬ 
sion  in  his  day.  He  had  investigated  psychic  photog¬ 
raphy  with  mediums,  and  speaking  with  the  author¬ 
ity  of  one  who  knew,  says: — 

“My  conditions  were  exceedingly  simple.  They 
were  that  I  should  use  my  own  camera  and  unopened 
packages  of  dry  plates,  purchased  from  dealers  of 
repute,  and  that  I  should  be  excused  from  allowing 
a  plate  to  go  out  of  my  own  hand  till  after  develop¬ 
ment,  unless  I  felt  otherwise  disposed ;  but  that,  as 
1  was  to  treat  them  as  under  suspicion,  so  must  they 
treat  me,  and  that  every  act  I  performed  must  be  in 
presence  of  two  witnesses,  nay,  that  I  would  set  a 
watch  upon  my  own  camera  in  the  guise  of  a  dupli¬ 
cate  one  of  the  same  focus — in  other  words,  I  would 
use  a  binocular  sterescopic  camera  and  dictate  all  the 
conditions  of  operation.  All  this  I  was  told  was 
what  they  very  strongly  wished  me  to  do,  as  they 
desired  to  know  the  truth  and  that  only.  There  were 
present  during  one  or  other  of  the  evenings  when  the 
trials  were  made  representatives  of  various  schools  of 
thought,  including  a  clergyman  of  the  Church  of 
England ;  a  practitioner  of  the  healing  art,  who  is  a 
Fellow  of  two  learned  societies;  a  gentleman  who 
graduated  in  the  Hall  of  Science,  in  the  days  of  the 
late  Charles  Bradlaugh ;  two  extremely  hardheaded 
Glasgow  merchants,  gentlemen  of  commercial  emi¬ 
nence  and  probity;  our  host,  his  wife,  the  medium, 
and  myself.  Dr.  G.  was  the  first  sitter,  and.  for  a 
reason  known  to  myself,  T  used  a  monocular  camera. 
T  myself  took  the  plate  out  of  a  packet  just  previ¬ 
ously  ripped  up  under  the  surveillance  of  my  two 
detectives.  T  placed  the  slide  in  my  pocket,  and  ex- 


78  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


posed  it  by  magnesium  ribbon,  which  I  held  in  my 
own  hand,  keeping  one  eye  as  it  were  on  the  sitter, 
and  the  other  on  the  camera.  There  was  no  back¬ 
ground.  I  myself  took  the  plate  from  the  dark  slide, 
and  imder  the  eyes  of  the  two  detectives,  placed  it  in 
the  developing  dish.  Between  the  camera  and  the 
sitter,  a  female  figure  was  developed,  rather  in  a  more 
pronounced  form  than  that  of  the  sitter.  The  lens 
was  a  portrait  one  of  short  focus;  the  figure,  being 
somewhat  in  front  of  the  sitter,  was  proportionately 
larger  in  dimensions.  1  do  not  recognise  her  or  any 
of  the  other  figures  I  obtained,  as  being  like  anyone 
I  know,  and  from  my  point  of  view,  that  of  a  mere 
investigator  and  experimentalist,  not  caring  whether 
the  psychic  subject  were  embodied  or  disembodied. 

Many  experiments  of  like  nature  followed ;  on 
some  plates  were  abnormal  appearances ;  on  others, 
none.  All  this  time,  Mr.  D.,  the  medium,  during  the 
exposure  of  the  plates,  was  quite  inactive.  If  the 
precautions  I  took  during  all  the  experiments  are 
thought  to  have  been  imperfect  or  incomplete,  I  pray 
of  you  to  point  them  out. 

The  psychic  figures  behaved  badly.  Some  were 
in  focus,  others  not  so ;  some  were  lighted  from  the 
right,  while  the  sitter  was  so  from  the  left ;  some 
were  comely,  others  not  so ;  some  monopolised  the 
major  portion  of  the  plate,  quite  obliterating  the  ma¬ 
terial  sitters ;  others  were  as  if  an  atrociously  badly 
vignetted  portrait,  or  one  cut  oval  out  of  a  photo¬ 
graph  by  a  can  opener,  or  equally  badly  clipped  out, 
were  held  up  behind  the  sitter. 

It  is  due  to  the  psychic  entities  to  say  that  what¬ 
ever  was  produced  on  one  half  the  sterescopic  plates 
was  reproduced  on  the  other,  alike  good  or  bad  in 
definition.  But,  on  a  careful  examination  of  one 
which  was  rather  better  than  the  other,  T  deduce  this 
fact  that  the  impressing  of  the  spirit  form  was  not 
consentaneous  with  that  of  the  sitter.  This  1  consider 
an  important  discovery.  I  carefully  examined  one  in 


MR.  DUGUID’S  MEDIUMSHIP 


79 


the  stereoscope,  and  found  that  while  the  two  sitters 
were  stereoscopic  per  se,  the  psychic  figure  was  abso¬ 
lutely  flat.  I  also  found  that  the  psychic  figure  was 
at  least  a  millimetre  higher  up  in  one  than  the  other. 
Now.  as  both  had  been  simultaneously  exposed,  it 
follows  to  demonstration  that,  although  both  were 
correctly  placed  vertically  in  relation  to  the  particu¬ 
lar  sitter  behind  whom  the  figure  appeared,  and  not 
so,  horizontally,  this  figure  had  not  only  not  been  im¬ 
pressed  on  the  plate  simultaneously  with  the  two 
gentlemen  forming  the  group,  but  had  not  been 
formed  by  the  lens  at  all,  and  that,  therefore,  the 
psychic  image  might  be  produced  without  a  camera. 
I  think  this  is  a  fair  deduction.  But  still  the  question 
obtrudes:  How  came  these  figures  there?  I  again 
assert  that  the  plates  were  not  tampered  with  by 
either  myself  or  anyone  present.  Are  they  crystalli¬ 
sations  of  thought?  Have  lens  and  light  really  noth¬ 
ing  to  do  with  their  formation?  The  whole  subject 
was  mysterious  enough  on  the  hypothesis  of  an  invis¬ 
ible  spirit,  whether  a  thought  projection  or  an  actual 
spirit,  being  really  there  in  the  vicinity  of  the  sitter, 
but  it  is  now  a  thousand  times  more  so.  There  are 
plenty  of  Tycho  Brahes  capable  of  supplying  details 
of  observations,  but  who  is  to  be  the  Kepler  that  will 
from  such  observation  evolve  a  law  by  which  they 
can  be  satisfactorily  explained?” 


I  read  in  The  London  Magazine  a  statement  to  the 
effect  that  Mr.  J.  Traill  Taylor,  shortly  before  he 
died,  withdrew  from  the  position  he  had  taken  as  to 
Spirit  Photography.  This  1  am  in  a  position  to  deny 
in  toto.  In  the  first  place,  Mr.  Taylor — while  admit¬ 
ting  the  fact  of  Psychic  or  Spirit  Photography — 
never  stated  that  the  “extras”  obtained  were  those 
of  spirits;  and,  secondly,  Mr.  Taylor  was  thoroughly 


80  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


convinced  there  were  no  errors  in  his  experiments, 
and  of  the  fact  that  these  psychic  figures  came  on 
the  plates  outside  the  ordinary  laws  of  photography. 
Both  Mr.  Andrew  Glendinning  and  Mr.  James  Rob¬ 
ertson  were,  among  others,  in  touch  to  the  last  with 
Mr.  Taylor.  So  far  from  denying  the  genuineness  of 
the  phenomena,  he  eventually  became  thoroughly  con¬ 
vinced  that  our  spirit  friends  did  affect  the  plates, 
even  to  the  extent  of  producing  identifiable  portraits. 

As  to  the  questions  raised  by  Mr.  Taylor  at  the 
conclusion  of  his  paper,  I  do  not  propose  to  deal.  It 
is,  however,  interesting  to  note : 

1.  Psychic  pictures  are  obtained  under  scientific 
conditions. 

2.  ‘  ‘  The  Psychic  figures  behaved  badly ;  ”  in  a 
word,  looked  fraudulent,  were  genuinely  produced. 

3.  While  Mr.  David  Duguid  was  present,  he  had 
nothing  whatever — photographically — to  do  with  the 
results. 

4.  That  Psychic  images  might  be  produced  with¬ 
out  the  camera. 

THE  TESTIMONY  OF  “EDINA” 

“The  gentleman  who  .  .  .  was  no  weak-mind¬ 

ed  enthusiast,  but  a  man  of  culture,  trained  long  in 
criminal  investigation,”  referred  to  by  Mr.  Robert¬ 
son,  was  no  other  than  the  late  Mr.  Duncan  Antonio, 
a  legal  luminary  whose  figure,  for  forty  years, 
was  well  known  in  the  Court  of  Session,  Edin¬ 
burgh.  As  “Edina,”  he  was  a  frequent  contributor 


MR.  DUGUID’S  MEDIUM SII1R 


81 


to  Light,  and  other  publications.  II is  testimony  to 
Mr.  Duguid’s  gifts  and  to  psychic  photography  was 
of  the  most  valuable  and  convincing  character.  With 
reference  to  obtaining  the  psychic  photograph  of  his 
son,  “Edina”  says: — 

“It  has  been  with  considerable  reluctance  that  I 
have  alluded  to  so  much  that  is  sacred  and  personal 
in  our  family,  but  in  the  interests  of  spiritual  truth, 
and  for  the  sole  purpose  of  showing  that  spirit  pho¬ 
tography,  by  an  honest  medium  like  David  Duguid, 
is  possible,  1  have  deemed  it  necessary  to  give  the 
facts,  and  they  have  been  stated  with  all  the  care 
and  minuteness  of  detail  in  my  power.  We  are  cer¬ 
tainly  under  a  deep  debt  of  gratitude  to  Mr.  David 
Duguid  for  the  beneficent  use  of  his  mediumistic 
powers  in  literally  ‘giving  us  back  our  dead,’  or 
rather,  showing  us  our  dear  one,  clothed  as  he  now 
is,  in  his  spiritual  body,  as  on  the  other  side.  These 
are  the  consolations  of  Spiritualism,  which  the  unin¬ 
structed  cannot  understand  or  appreciate.  In  my 
humble  judgment,  Spiritualistic  research  should  be 
prosecuted  in  the  home,  as  there  only  results  will  be 
got  of  the  best  and  purest  kind.  That  at  least  has 
been  our  experience,  and  we  gratefully  acknowledge 
the  mercies  bestowed  upon  us.” 

Owing  to  the  standing  of  the  writer,  I  give  the 
above.  T  have  been  privileged  to  see  the  psychic  pho¬ 
tograph  of  this  child  alluded  to.  T  regret  T  did  not 
succeed  in  getting  permission  to  produce  it  in  this 
work. 

THE  PUZZLING  REPRODUCTION  CALLED  THE  CYPRIAN 
PRIESTESS 

Many  were  the  pictures  obtained  of  this  lady,  of 


S2 


PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


whom  two  photographs  have  already  been  given.  1 
produce  two  more,  which  a  tyro  in  psychic  photog¬ 
raphy  would  denounce  as  fraudulent.  Before  giving 
“Edina’s”  evidence,  (summarised  from  pp.  439-463, 
Light,  vol.  xvi.)  I  wish  to  state  that  this  gentleman 
(who  was  an  expert  amateur  photographer)  and  a 
friend,  Mr.  G.,  an  accomplished  photographer,  who 
is  not  to  he  confounded  with  the  late  Mr.  Glendin- 
ning,  three  years  after  the  conclusive  tests  of  Mr.  J. 
Traill  Taylor,  had  a  series  of  test  sittings  with  Mr. 
Duguid  in  May,  1896.  The  test  procedure  was 
simply  effective.  The  plates  were  purchased  in  Edin¬ 
burgh  by  Mr.  G.,  who  there  loaded  his  camera  with 
twelve  plates.  These  were  brought  to  Glasgow,  and 
except  when  Mr.  Duguid  was  asked  to  take  off  the 
cap  and  make  an  exposure,  the  same  was  untouched 
by  him.  The  camera  urns  never  for  a  moment  out  of 
sight,  while  the  experiments  were  conducted.  The 
plates  (with  the  camera)  were  taken  back  to  Edin¬ 
burgh  and  developed  there.  Concerning  the  results, 
some  plates  revealed  nothing,  but  on  three  were  dis¬ 
tinct  “extras,”  one  being  Mr.  G.’s  brother  Alexander 
— who  had  already  shown  himself  to  his  surviving 
brother,  at  Cecil  Husk’s,  in  Peckham;  one  of  an  old 
lady,  identified  by  a  lady  in  Edinburgh  as  her 
mother,  and  the  third  was  the  reproduction  of  a  fe¬ 
male,  similar  to  one  obtained  three  years  previously. 
This  seance  thus  gave  two  identifiable  portraits  and 
one  replica. 

At  the  test  seance  held  in  June,  Mr.  G.’s  brother 


MR.  DUGUID ’S  MEDIUMSHIP 


83 


Alexander  came  again,  and  the  portraits  of  a  mili¬ 
tary  man  and  that  of  two  females  unknown.  I  wish 


Fig.  14.  Photograph  of  Mrs.  Duguid,  and  Psychic  Photograph 
of  the  so-called  Cyprian  Priestess. 

to  emphasise  neither  Mr.  nor  Mrs.  Duguid,  who  were 
present,  saw  or  handled  the  plates,  which  were  de¬ 
veloped  in  Edinburgh  and  prints  taken  off  them 
there. 


84  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


At  further  test  sittings,  held  in  July,  1896,  with 
similar  precautions  by  these  honourable  men,  Mr.  Da¬ 
vid  Duguid,  Mrs.  Duguid,  and  a  niece  of  Mrs.  Du¬ 
guid ’s  were  present.  Sometimes  G.,  Mrs.  Duguid  and 
her  niece  sat  as  subjects.  The  plates  were  brought 
from  Edinburgh  and  taken  back  there  for  develop¬ 
ment.  Neither  Mr.  nor  Mrs.  Duguid  or  the  niece  saw 
or  handled  them. 

What  were  the  results? 

The  first  psychic  photograph  was  that  of  the  so- 
called  Cyprian  Priestess.  Although  the  face  is  dis¬ 
tinct,  the  drapery  is  different  from  that  in  former 
photographs,  but  reveals  in  quite  a  natural  position 
a  plump  hand  and  arm  held  across  the  lower  portion 
of  the  chest.  On  another  plate  of  Mrs.  Duguid ’s  trio, 
there  was  a  reproduction  of  a  spirit  face,  obtained 
by  Mr.  G.  four  years  before.  Of  the  three  plates, 
where  Mr.  G.  was  the  sitter,  one  was  blank.  On  one 
was  found  the  Cyprian  Priestess,  and  on  the  third 
the  face  and  form  of  a  lady  clad  in  modern  costume. 
She  stood  by  Mr.  G.’s  side,  clasping  his  arm. 

I  have  called  “The  Cyprian  Priestess”  a  reproduc¬ 
tion,  for,  whether  as  represented,  it  is  the  photograph 
of  a  spirit  who  manifested  in  the  Duguid  circles  or 
not.,  one  thing  is  now  clear,  that  before  this  photo¬ 
graph  was  obtained  there  was  in  the  possession  of 
Mr.  Brodie  Innes,  an  Edinburgh  solicitor,  a  photo¬ 
graph  of  a  German  picture  called  “Night.”  The 
discovery  was  made,  I  believe,  by  Madame  de  Stei¬ 
ger,  F.  T.  S.  Upon  examination,  the  face  and  head 


MR.  DUGUID’S  MEDIUMSHIP 


85 


in  “Night,”  and  on  Mr.  Duguid’s  photographs  and 
psychographs  were  found  to  be  identical.  Great  pub¬ 
licity  was  given  to  the  matter  at  the  time,  and  five, 
among  other,  things  are  clear : 

1.  Mr.  Brodie  Innes,  W.  S.,  was  not  a  Spiritual¬ 
ist,  and  Mr.  Duguid  neither  knew  of  nor  ever  had 
access  to  the  portrait. 

2.  With  all  the  publicity  in  Light,  and  Border¬ 
land,  which  “raged”  for  several  years,  and  search  in 
Great  Britain  and  Germany,  neither  the  original 
painting  nor  a  copy  of  it  have  been  obtained. 

3.  Under  the  strictest  test  conditions,  both  pho¬ 
tographs  and  psychographs  of  this  re-production 
have  been  obtained  by  experts,  including  Mr.  J.  T. 
Taylor. 

4.  To  the  very  last,  Mr.  David  Duguid  believed 
in  her  reality  as  a  spirit,  and  those  most  familiar 
with  the  Hafed  and  other  circles  were  impressed  by 
the  story  that  in  earth  life  she  was  dedicated  to  the 
Temple  of  Venus  on  Cyprus.  I  cannot  recall  when 
she  was  called  the  Cyprian  Priestess,  but  this  name 
was  given  to  her  by  the  habitues  of  Duguid’s  circles. 

5.  The  critical  investigators,  even  those  who  were 
non-spiritualistic,  upon  a  crucial  examination  of  the 
whole  circumstances,  acquitted  Duguid  of  dishonest 
procedure. 

Mr.  A.  J.  Riko,  Editor  of  The  Sphinx,  The  Hague 
(who  at  one  time  made  a  thorough  study  of  these 
productions  wrote  a  critical  article  and  severe  con¬ 
demnation  of  them)  sent  Air.  W.  T.  Stead  the  follow- 


86 


PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


ing  amende  (which  appeared  in  Borderland,  p.  179, 
vol.  iv.)  — 

“Your  readers  remember  my  article  on  ‘The  Cyp¬ 
rian  Priestess.’  ...  I  need  not  say  that  I  wrote 
so  in  perfect  good  faith,  as  I  do  now.  Well,  I  have 
since  then  followed  with  attention  all  that  has  been 
written  on  the  same  subject  by  my  old  acquaintance, 
Mr.  Glendinning,  by  ‘Edina,’  and  others,  and  I 
frankly  confess  that  my  suspicions  are  greatly  shaken, 
and  that  now  I  admit  also  the  most  perfect  honesty 
at  least  of  the  operators  on  this  side,  Mr.  Duguid  and 
consorts.  On  the  other  side  there  remains,  however, 
still,  I  will  not  say  fraud,  but  an  amount  of  mystery 
in  relation  to  that  perfect  beauty  of  the  ‘Priestess, 
whom  I  offer  my  homage.’  ” 

The  Hague,  Holland, 

Feb.  1897. 

I  have  given  this  as  the  most  striking  and  inex¬ 
plicable  case  of  re-production  in  the  history  of  spirit 
photography.  It  is  another  illustration  that  spirit 
photographs  are  not  necessarily  photographs  of  spir¬ 
its. 

Mr.  W.  T.  Stead,  and  his  son,  Mr.  William  Stead, 
experimented  with  Mr.  Duguid  later  on,  but  in  a 
very  hurried  manner.  The  results  were  neither  of  a 
test  character  nor  conclusive.  With  Mr.  Duguid ’s 
stereoscopic  camera  and  magnetised  plates,  Mr.  Will¬ 
iam  Stead  developed  one  plate  and  Mr.  Duguid  the 
other.  A  female  form  was  obtained.  This  was  sub¬ 
mitted  to  Mr.  J.  Traill  Taylor,  who  said : — 

‘  ‘  The  figure  of  the  female  was  not,  as  on  some  spirit 
photographs,  the  result  of  photographing  a  plane 
surface.  The  photograph  indicated  the  existence  of 


MR.  DUGUID’S  MEDIUMSHIP 


87 


a  body  with  sufficient  substance  to  indicate  rotundity 
and  solidity.  The  pictures  were  stereoscopically  cor¬ 
rect.  ’  ’ 

Attempts  made  by  Mr.  William  Stead  to  get  psy¬ 
chic  pictures  with  his  Freno  Kodak  failed.  Notwith¬ 
standing  this,  Mr.  Stead  says: — 

“I  know  that  Mr.  Duguid  is  a  thoroughly  honest 
man.  It  was  my  own  fault  that  the  photograph  was 
not  taken  with  my  own  plates.  Mr.  Duguid  assented 
to  my  conditions,  and  was  annoyed  that  1  had  no 
time  to  carry  out  test  experiments.  It  was  only  at 
my  suggestion  and  with  much  reluctance  he  consent¬ 
ed  to  use  the  oidy  two  plates  of  his  own  which  he 
had  left  in  the  house.” 

Had  Mr.  Stead  brought  plates  and  been  able  to 
give  a  few  days  to  these  experiments,  so  as  to  place 
himself  in  touch  and  sympathy  with  the  medium  and 
his  surroundings — as  Mr.  Taylor,  Glendinning  and 
“Edina”  had  done — no  doubt  better  results  would 
have  been  obtained. 

I  have  frequently  come  into  contact  with  Mr.  Du¬ 
guid  and  also  with  many  who  were  familiar  with  the 
man  and  his  varied  gifts  of  mediumship.  I  had  evi¬ 
dence  of  his  psychic  powers,  in  having  photographic 
plates  impressed  while  in  his  hands,  the  experiments 
being  carried  out  in  Glenbeg  House.  The  plates  were 
bought  by  me  from  Mr.  Jamieson,  chemist,  Rothesay, 
wrapped  up  in  pairs,  film  to  film,  as  taken  out  of  or¬ 
iginal  packet,  and  after  they  were  held,  1  took  them 
away  and  had  them  developed  for  me  by  Mr.  Howie, 
photographer,  Rothesay.  All  the  plates  held  pre- 


88  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


sented  indications  of  the  abnormal — but  not  due  to 
light.  On  two  of  these  plates  were  portraits,  one  a 
positive  and  the  other  a  negative.  One  of  the  faces  I 
knew,  but  the  history  is  not  of  sufficient  importance 
to  have  a  half  tone  produced  for  these  pages. 
Other  plates  were  held,  by  friends,  while  Mr. 
Duguid  was  present.  He  had  nothing  to  do  with 
the  plates.  On  one  pair,  held  by  Mrs.  Coates  and 
Mr.  Auld,  there  was  a  long  message  written  on 
the  plates.  This  was  in  accord  with  a  message 
which  he  (Mr.  Auld)  had  received  some  three  months 
previously  to  making  our  acquaintance.  Unfortun¬ 
ately,  the  plates  taken  under  the  above  circumstances 
were  accidentally  broken.  Upon  plates  held  by 
Mrs.  Coates  and  Mr.  Duguid  there  were  two  im¬ 
perfect  forms,  one  said  to  represent  “Silver  Eagle,” 
a  Blackfoot  Indian,  who  was  one  of  Mr.  Duguid ’s 
controls,  and  the  other  that  of  the  late  Professor 
Blackie,  whom  I  knew  personally.  The  psychic 
impressions  were  valueless  from  an  identification 
standpoint,  but  from  the  standard  of  test  and  scien¬ 
tific  inquiry,  most  valuable.  We  had  in  our  home 
many  other  such  experiments,  but  never  had  any¬ 
thing  like  the  results  obtained  with  Mr.  Duguid, 
when  that  gentleman  and  his  good  lady  were  our 
guests  at  Glenbeg  House.  I  may  say  in  passing,  that 
the  experiments  with  Mr.  Duguid  were  suggested  by 
me  and  the  matter  was  spontaneously  entered  upon. 
There  was  no  pre-arrangement.  That  Mr.  Duguid 
was  a  medium — among  other  things — for  psychic  pho- 


MR.  DUGUID’S  MEDIUMSHIP 


89 


tography  1  can  endorse.  I  think,  however,  that  the 
testimony  of  Mr.  Traill  Taylor,  Mr.  Andrew  Glendin- 
ning,  “Edina,”  (the  late  Mr.  Duncan  Antonio),  Mr. 
W.  T.  Stead,  and  Mr.  James  Robertson,  a  group  of 
shrewd,  independent  investigators,  is  much  more  im¬ 
portant  than  anything  which  I  can  advance  myself. 


CHAPTER  V 


MR.  R.  BOURSNELL ’S  MEDIUMSHIP 

The  late  Mr.  R.  Boursnell,  who  passed  away  in 
December,  1909,  and  who  liad  been  taking  psychic 
photographs  in  London,  for  about  twenty  years,  was 
the  last  of  the  British  professional  mediums  to  do  so. 
He  was  not  a  cultured  man,  and  as  a  photographer 
did  not  rank  higher  than  Hudson,  but  as  a  psychic  he 
was  a  man  of  many  gifts.  No  man  has  been  more 
discussed  and  certainly  none  have  been  able  to  give 
consolation  to  thousands  more  than  he.  With  the  ma¬ 
terials  at  my  disposal  I  should  be  compelled  to  issue 
another  book  to  place  the  facts  and  the  controversies 
before  the  public.  I,  however,  confine  myself  to  a 
few  cases,  out  of  many,  given  me  from  correspondents 
and  friends  upon  whom  I  can  rely,  and  introduce 
some  facts  as  they  relate  to  myself. 

It  appears  that  before  Mumler  got  his  first  picture 
in  1861,  Mr.  Boursnell  got  curious  appearances  on  his 
plates,  not  only  spoiling  them  but  leading  to  dis¬ 
agreements  with  his  employer,  who  accused  him  of 
not  cleaning  the  glass  properly.  These  splotches 
came  at  intervals.  For  a  long  time  there  was  a  lull. 
Boursnell  was  a  medium;  that  was  the  trouble.  He 


90 


MR.  R.  BOURSNELL’S  MEDIUMSHIP  91 


was  influenced  by  one,  “Tulip.”  I  do  not  know  who 
“Tulip”  is  or  was,  but  I  do  know  that  her  picture 
frequently  came  on  the  plates,  and  that  under  test 
conditions,  Mr.  H.  Blackwell,  a  first-class  amateur 
photographer,  had  over  fifty  sittings  with  Mr.  Bours- 
nel!  and  frequently  brought  his  own  plates,  marked 
them,  filled  the  single  slide,  and  developed  each  plate, 
after  exposure,  invariably  getting  something.  Not  a 
few  of  these  were  identifiable  portraits.  I  also  know 
that  many  others  did  so.  Reproductions  and  dupli¬ 
cations  were  common  and  threw  unmerited  suspicion 
on  Boursnell’s  work,  especially  from  Spiritualists 
and  others  ignorant  of  the  elementary  facts  of  psy¬ 
chic  photography.  One  day  Mr.  Boursnell  informed 
Mr.  Blackwell,  “There  is  an  old  gentleman  here  who 
says  you  have  a  painting  of  him  at  home  in  your  din¬ 
ing-room,  near  a  book  case.”  Mr.  Blackwell  sat  and 
obtained  a  capital  likeness  of  his  grandfather,  wear¬ 
ing  the  white  stock  as  in  the  portrait  at  home,  the 
photograph  not  being  that  of  spirit  but  of  the  figure 
in  the  old  oil  painting.  Another  feature  of  his  medi 
umship  was  that  many  departed  ones  were  either  de¬ 
scribed  by  Mr.  Boursnell  or  by  some  clairvoyant  prior 
to  exposure  and  development  of  the  plate.  The  de¬ 
scriptions  were  sometimes  accompanied  by  the  name 
of  the  original  of  the  “extra.” 

In  reply  to  me,  Mr.  II.  Blackwell  was  good  enough 
to  send  me  a  number  of  cases,  but  of  those  sent  I  se¬ 
lect  the  following  as  being  specially  interesting. 


92 


PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


Fig.  15.  Photograph  of  Mr.  11.  Blackwell  and  his  little  Niece 
Louie,  who  came  according  to  promise  made  through  a 
medium,  not  only  a  stranger  to  Mr.  Blackwell  but  to  Mr. 
Boursnell ;  a  remarkable  Picture  carrying  the  Evidences 
of  Genuineness  on  the  face  of  it.  The  attitude  of  the 
child  itself  proved  a  striking  Test  to  not  only  the  lady 
who  taught  her  but  to  others.  She  always  adopted  this 
attitude  when  thinking  before  answering  a  question. 


MR.  R.  BOURSNELL ’S  MEDIUMSHIP  93 


London,  9-10-09. 

“Dear  Mr.  Coates, 

“In  August,  1901,  at  a  sitting  in  Glasgow  with 
Mrs.  Stevenson,  to  whom  I  was  a  complete  stranger, 
the  medium  said  ‘First  comes  to  you  a  little  girl  with 
blue-grey  eyes.  She  has  on  a  light  holland  dress, 


Fig  16.  Photograph  of  Mr.  Blackwell  and  the  little  Spirit 
Friend,  taken  fourteen  months  later  by  Mr.  Boursnell. 
The  time  period  is  the  same  (but  the  attitude  of  the  Child 
is  Different). 

trimmed  with  braid,  a  kind  of  belt,  and  little  shoes. 
She  says  she  will  show  to  you  like  that  when  you  get 
back  to  London.’  Then  followed  other  descriptions 
which  proved  quite  accurate.  Soon  after  my  return 
to  London  I  had  a  sitting  with  Mr.  R.  Boursnell,  tak¬ 
ing  my  own  plates  and,  being  an  amateur  photog¬ 
rapher,  assisting  in  the  development.  A  clairvoyant 


94  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


who  accompanied  me,  saw  a  little  girl  posing  for  her 
picture,  and  the  plate  when  developed  showed  that 
my  niece  had  kept  the  promise  given  in  Glasgow. 
The  dress  and  sash  were  remembered  by  her  mother, 
with  whom  she  has  since  been  photographed.*  About 
fourteen  months  later  I  was  again  at  Mr.  Boursnell’s, 
accompanied  by  a  lady  who  is  a  fine  clairvoyant.  She 
noticed  a  little  girl  holding  out  her  hand  to  me,  and 
this  was  endorsed  a  moment  later  by  Mr.  Boursnell, 
who,  on  entering  the  room,  said,  ‘Why,  there  is  your 
little  niece  and  she  is  holding  out  her  hand  to  you. 
Be  quite  still  and  we’ll  try  to  take  her.’  ” 

This  photograph  is  an  extraordinary  one  as  she  has 
come  in  the  same  dress  as  before,  with  the  folds  only 
slightly  altered,  but  the  position  of  the  arms  and 
hands  is  quite  different.  This  was  on  one  of  my 
marked  plates  and  I  assisted  in  the  development. 
She  had  been  taken  with  me  on  several  other  occa¬ 
sions  and  has  materialized  both  in  London  and  New 
York  through  four  different  mediums.  The  only  por¬ 
trait  taken  of  her  when  in  earth  life,  about  this  age, 
is  reproduced ;  the  next  one  was  about  six  years  later. 
This  is  but  one  of  the  many  instances  known  to  me 
where  the  spirit  friends  have  redeemed  their  prom¬ 
ises,  made  in  some  cases  thousands  of  miles  distant 
through  the  wonderful  gift  possessed  by  Mr.  Bours¬ 
nell.  His  work  is  known  in  all  parts  of  the  world 
and  has  been  of  immense  value  in  introducing  and 
proving  the  truths  of  Spiritualism. 

IT.  Blackwell. 

Although  I  withhold  Mr.  II.  Blackwell’s  London 
address,  and  the  mother’s  address  from  publicity, 
they  can  be  obtained  privately.  I  am  much  indebted 

*1  have  seen  Mrs.  - -  photograph  with  Mr.  Blackwells’ 

niece,  also  testimony  concerning,  but  think  Mr.  Blackwells’ 
present  account  sufficient. — J.  C. 


MR.  R.  BOURSNELL’S  MEDIUMSIIIP  95 


to  this  gentleman  for  the  amount  of  valuable  in¬ 
formation  placed  at  my  disposal  during  the  last  three 
years  and  for  lending  me  out  of  his  large  private  col¬ 
lection  so  many  spirit  photographs.  Of  that  collec- 


Fig.  IT.  Photograph  of  Louie - ,  taken  (1871  in  life  at  four 

years  of  age.  and  who  passed  away  at  ten  years  of  age. 
the  time  period  given  in  her  Psychic  Photographs. 

tion  I  prize  most  those  of  his  niece  and  have  produced 
two  of  them.  No  man  living  is  in  a  better  position 
to  testify  to  Mr.  Boursnell’s  bona-fides  than  he.  Some 
of  the  most  interesting  cases  1  have  to  withhold  ow¬ 
ing,  as  Mi.  Blackwell  says  in  his  letter,  dated  London. 


96  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


9- 1  -09 — ‘  ‘  It  is  very  difficult  to  get  people  to  allow  their 
photographs  and  names  to  be  published.”  I  know 


Fig.  18.  The  photograph  of  Mr.  A.  W.  Jones  who  is  cut  out  of 
print  and  the  psychic  picture  of  his  father.  I  have  seen 
two  other  photographs  of  this  spirit  form  in  imperfect 
states  of  development  as  if  the  same  were  being  photo¬ 
graphed  in  the  process  of  building  up  before  the  camera. 
1  have  produced  the  one  identified,  sent  by  Mr.  Blackwell. 


MR.  R.  BOURSNELL’S  MEDIUMSHIP  97 


this  to  be  too  true.  Therefore,  I  appreciate  Mr. 
Blackwell’s  photographs  and  testimony  all  the  more. 

Mr.  A.  AY.  Jones,  in  his  account  of  the  photograph 
says : — 


“In  January,  1904,  through  the  introduction  of  a 
friend,  I  went  with  my  wife  to  the  well-known  spirit 
photographer,  Mr.  R.  Boursnell,  for  the  purpose  of 
getting  a  spirit,  photograph.  AVe  arrived  at  the 
house  at  12:30  pm.,  and  were  invited  into  a  front 
parlor  and  sat  down  and  chatted  for  a  few  minutes 
with  the  photographer,  who  was  advanced  in  years, 
hut  a  very  genial  old  gentleman.  Then,  with  but  lit¬ 
tle  arrangement,  he  proceeded  to  take  a  photo  of  my 
wife.  After  exposing  and  developing  three  plates,  he 
said  that  there  appeared  something  on  the  negative 
and  that  he  would  send  prints  of  same  in  a  few  days. 
My  wife  had  quite  decided  in  her  mind  that  if  a 
spirit  photo  was  obtained  it  would  of  coiu’se  he  that 
of  her  mother,  who  had  passed  over  a  few  years  pre¬ 
viously  and  of  whom  she  thought  a  great  deal. 

Upon  returning  from  business  a  few  evenings  la¬ 
ter,  my  wife  said  to  me  ‘The  photos  have  come,  and 
my  mother’s  portrait  is  not  upon  them,  hut  a  man’s 
face.’  Her  disappointment  was  great  and  I  just 
glanced  at  the  photo  and  then  threw  it  aside.  Later 
in  the  evening,  whilst  my  wife  was  out,  I  took  up  the 
photo  and  was  examining  it  closely  when  my  wife 
returned  and  as  soon  as  she  came  into  the  house  she 
said  to  me,  ‘Do  you  know  that  whilst  walking  along 
a  sudden  impression  came  to  me  (she  is  highly  sensi¬ 
tive)  that  the  photo  of  the  man  is  that  of  your  fa¬ 
ther.  ’  Now  my  father  had  been  dead  forty-five  years 
and  I  was  about  eight  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  his 
death,  so  that  my  recollection  of  him  was  not  vivid, 
but  upon  looking  closely  at  the  photo,  I  was  able  to 
recognise  the  likeness. 

Having  two  brothers  and  three  sisters  older  than 


98  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


myself,  I  decided  to  put  the  photo  before  them  and 
hear  what  they  had  to  say.  My  eldest  sister  calling 
upon  us  a  few  days  later,  was  told  by  my  wife  that 
she  had  got  a  spirit-photo,  but  that  she  was  disap¬ 
pointed  as  it  was  not  that  of  her  mother,  but  the 
photo  of  a  man  whom  she  did  not  recognise.  There¬ 
upon  she  showed  the  photo  to  my  sister,  who  imme¬ 
diately  said  ‘Why,  Jessie,  that’s  a  portrait  of  my  fa¬ 
ther  ;  wherever  did  you  get  it  from  ?  ’  She  was  most 
startled  at  the  great  likeness,  as  she  knew  that  my 
father  had  never  been  photographed  in  his  life,  and 
she  did  not  believe  in  Spiritualism. 

Not  being  at  home  at  the  time  of  this  visit,  I  was 
at  home  when  she  called  again,  and  our  conversation 
turned  upon  the  photo  and  I  then  asked  her  to  take 
a  good  look  at  it  and  if  she  had  any  doubt  about  it, 
I  begged  she  would  express  it,  and  revoke  her  previ¬ 
ous  decision.  She  then  said  ‘The  more  I  look  at  it 
the  more  convinced  I  am  that  it  is  the  portrait  of  my 
father.’  Now  this  lady  is  a  most  skeptical  individual, 
especially  with  respect  to  the  existence  of  spirits,  and 
is  of  such  a  practical  nature  that  she  fails  to  see  the 
use  of  spirits  returning,  even  if  it  were  her  own  hus¬ 
band,  unless  he  was  able  to  pay  her  rent  and  other 
incidental  expenses. 

One  of  my  brothers  and  the  other  two  sisters  also 
considered  it  a  striking  likeness  of  my  father. 

A.  W.  Jones.” 

Mr.  Blackwell  in  sending  me  the  next  photo 
says: — “I  had  pleasure  later  in  the  same  year  of 
giving  a  copy  of  it  to  a  Presbyterian  minister  in 
Newfoundland,  who  was  delighted  to  receive  a 
spirit  portrait  of  his  old  Professor.  It  may  have 
been  given  for  that  purpose.”  As  Dr.  Wyld,  Pro¬ 
fessor  Blaekie’s  brother-in-law,  was  one  of  my  oldest 
correspondents,  not  only  in  psychic  matters,  but 


MR.  R.  BOURSNELL’S  MEDIUMSHIP  99 


on  hygiene  and  smoke  abatement,  over  twenty-five 
years  ago,  Professor  Blaekie  himself  had  been  an 


Fig.  19.  This  Photograph  of  Mr.  H.  Blackwell  and  the  late 
Professor  Blaekie  was  taken  by  Mr.  Boursnell  on  the  21st 
of  May,  1901,  but  was  not  recognized  at  the  time  by  either 
Mr.  Blackwell  or  Mr.  Boursnell. 


esteemed  guest  of  ours  when  we  resided  in  Crosshill, 
Glasgow.  The  photograph  possesses  for  us  a  double 


100  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


interest.  Possibly  to  Scotchmen  at  home  and  abroad 
the  portrait  of  this  virile  and  truly  noble,  if  some¬ 
what  eccentric,  scholar  may  be  of  interest  too,  and 
for  that  purpose  I  add  it  to  my  collection. 

I  give  with  pleasure  the  Testimony  of  Mr.  Elliott, 
London  and  Trinidad,  who  believes  with  the  poet 
"Whittier — 

“I  have  friends  in  Spirit-land, 

Not  shadows  in  a  shadowy  band, 

Not  others,  but  themselves  are  they.  ’  ’ 

This  gentleman,  who  paid  me  a  visit  in  Nov.,  1910, 
prior  to  his  return  to  Trinidad,  told  me  of  his  ex¬ 
periences  in  spirit-photography.  During  a  visit  to 
England  he  had  a  sitting,  on  the  3rd  of  March,  1903, 
with  Mr.  Boursnell.  When  he  saw  the  plate — which 
was  developed  immediately  after  exposure — it  had, 
in  addition  to  himself — the  spirit  form  of  a  female 
friend.  Two  days  later  he  went  to  a  seance — Mr. 
Husks — during  which  several  faces  came  and  were 
recognised  by  the  sitters.  Three  came  to  him.  The 
first  was  that  of  his  father.  The  second  he  did  not 
know ;  and  the  third  was  the  psychic  face  of  the  or¬ 
iginal  of  the  photograph.  “I  knew  her  at  once,”  he 
said,  and  added,  “Mr.  Boursnell  did  not  know  and  I 
did  not  know  either  that  I  should  be  at  this  seance. 
At  this  time  the  photographs  were  not  printed.” 

About  a  week  later,  i,e.,  12th  March,  1903,  he  went 
again.  This  time  he  had  the  photograph  of  this  spirit 
friend  in  his  pocket,  a  fact  only  known  to  himself. 
There  were  the  usual  phenomena.  Several  new  faces 


MR.  R.  BOURSNELL’S  MEDIUMSHIP  101 


(*arae  and  were  recognised  by  the  sitters.  Two — 
whom  lie  recognised  on  the  first  occasion — came  to 
him.  One  of  those  was  his  friend  of  the  photograph. 
For  several  minutes  they  conversed  together  and  he 
had  ample  opportunity  of  examining  her  features, 
which  were  also  seen  by  several  persons  present.  Af¬ 
ter  the  sitting  was  over,  he  showed  the  photograph 
to  these  and  all  immediately  recognised  the  (mate¬ 
rialised)  face  from  the  photograph.  As  links  in  the 
chain  of  evidence,  one  is  that  of  obtaining  a  spirit 
form  of  a  female  on  a  photograph  ;  of  obtaining  a 
written  description  of  her  on  the  same  day  hv  auto¬ 
matic  writing;  of  seeing  the  original — in  materialised 
form — twice  in  subsequent  seances  and  having  the 
spirit  identified  by  several  other  persons,  from  the 
photograph  which  he  had  in  his  pocket.  He  was  so 
convinced  that  he  sent  a  full  account  (with  a  copy  of 
the  photograph)  to  Light.  He  had  several  other  pho¬ 
tographs  taken  by  Mr.  Boursnell — one  of  which  was 
that  of  his  own  father — and  these  he  took  with  him 
to  the  Port  of  Spain. 

He  left  England  to  resume  his  duties  in  Trinidad 
and  for  some  months  thereafter— for  reasons  1  can 
well  appreciate — he  said  nothing  about  these  photo¬ 
graphs.  On  showing  them  to  some  friends,  one  was 
recognised  by  Miss  Cathie  M’Kay,  as  that  of  an  in¬ 
timate  acquaintance,  not  only  of  herself  but  of  Mr. 
Learmond’s  family,  in  Demerara,  where  she  had  re¬ 
sided.  The  original  of  the  psychic  picture  had  not 
only  passed  away  four  years  previously,  hut  had  since 


102  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


frequently  controlled  a  member  of  Mr.  Learmond’s 
household.  Miss  M’Kay  sent  a  copy  of  the  photo¬ 
graph  to  Demerara,  and  Mr.  Elliott  saw  the  reply, 
stating  that  they  all  recognised  “Pat’s”  picture,  be¬ 
fore  they  read  her  letter  which  accompanied  it. 

It  is  interesting  to  note — taking  for  granted  that 
the  statements  of  this  clear-headed  gentleman  are  cor¬ 
rect — that  Mr.  Boursnell — about  four  thousand  miles 
away — produced  an  identifiable  photograph  of  a  de¬ 
parted,  who  had  lived  and  died  in  Demerara,  and  of 
whom  the  sitter  had  no  knowledge.  Mr.  Elliott  was 
a  stranger  to  Mr.  Boursnell.  This  psychic  picture 
might  to  this  day  have  been  marked  “unrecognised,” 
had  Mr.  Elliott  not  taken  it  to  Trinidad.  Acting  on 
the  information  given  me,  I  looked  up  the  file  of 
Light,  and  found  that  Miss  Cathie  M’Kay,  70  Oxford 
Street,  Trinidad,  Port  of  Spain,  in  her  letter  dated 
April  8th,  1904,  certifies  to  the  photograph,  adding — 

‘  ‘  He  had  always  promised  us  his  photo,  but  we  did 
not  know  at  what  time  or  place  he  would  ‘sit.’  We 
are  all  very  pleased  to  have  the  photo,  and  will  al¬ 
ways  treasure  it  as  a  precious  souvenir.” 

Owing  to  Mr.  Elliott’s  official  position,  I  have  not 
given  his  designation,  and  address,  but  these  can  be 
supplied,  if  desired. 

THE  REPRODUCTIONS  PUZZLE 

Bv  reproductions  I  mean  pictures  of  material  ob¬ 
jects  produced  by  psychic  or  occult  processes. 

I  am  indebted  to  Mrs.  Annie  Bright,  the  able  Edi- 


MR.  R.  BOURSNELL’S  MEDIUMSHIP  108 


tor  of  The  Harbinger  of  Liglil  (Melbourne,  Austral¬ 
ia),  for  this  interesting  case  of  re-production,  and  the 
cuts  which  illustrate  it. 


Eig.  20.  Portrait  of  Elizabeth,  the  Empress  of  Austria,  taken 
from  "The  Martyrdom  of  an  Empress.” 

Mr.  F.  C.  Barnes,  a  well-known  business  man  of 
Brisbane,  Australia,  had  occasion  to  visit  London, 


104  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


and  availed  himself  of  the  opportunity  to  investigate 
Spiritualism,  and  therewith  Spirit  Photography.  We 
learn  that  in  the  year  1908,  a  friend  lent  him  “The 
Martyrdom  of  An  Empress.”  This  book  deals  with 
the  life  and  assassination  of  the  Empress  of  Austria. 
The  frontispiece  is  a  portrait  of  this  beautiful  woman. 
Mr.  Barnes  often  thought  of  this  picture  and  the  Em¬ 
press,  after  he  returned  the  book.  He  says : — 

‘  ‘ Before  I  left  Brisbane,  my  wife,  speaking  through 
a  medium,  told  me  to  go  to  England  to  a  Spirit  Pho¬ 
tographer,  and  she  would  try  to  reflect  herself. 

When  in  London,  I  went  to  Mr.  Boursnell.  . 

.  As  he  was  old  and  had  given  up  practice,  it  was 
with  much  difficulty  that  I  persuaded  him  to  give  me 
a  sitting.  Two  others  were  present  at  the  first  sit¬ 
ting,  which  took  place  in  an  ordinary  drawing-room, 
with  two  windows.  Behind  me  was  a  wall  covered 
with  a  black  cloth  as  a  background.  Mr.  Boursnell 
said — ‘  There  is  a  spirit  of  a  beautiful  lady  here,  who 
seems  in  a  very  bright  light,  and  suffered  greatly  on 
earth.  ’  I  concluded  at  once  that  it  was  my  wife,  and 
on  receipt  of  the  proofs  was  greatly  disappointed  to 
find  it  was  not.  I  asked  those  present  if  they  could 
recognise  it.  ‘No,’  said  the  lady,  ‘but  it  looks  like 
royalty.’  This  was  inexplicable.  Then  the  impres¬ 
sion  came  to  me  that  it  might  be  the  Empress  of 
Austria.” 

On  arriving  at  this  conclusion,  Mr.  Barnes  took  the 
trouble  to  get  several  books,  in  the  hope  of  getting  a 
portrait  of  her.  He  also  ordered  a  copy  of  the  book 
which  he  had  read  in  Brisbane,  from  The  Times  Book 
Club.  On  comparison,  it  is  clear  that  the  spirit  photo 
was  a  reproduction  of  the  portrait  in  the  frontispiece 
referred  to. 


MR.  R.  BOURSNELL’S  MEDIUMSHIP  105 


Mrs.  Bright,  commenting  on  the  ease,  says: — 

“The  most  surprising  thing  to  myself,  and  which 
opens  a  large  subject  as  to  reflected  thought  forms, 
is  the  absolute  identity  of  the  spirit  photo  with  the 


Fig.  21.  Photograph  of  Mr.  Barnes,  and  the  Psychic  Re-produc¬ 
tion  of  a  Portrait  of  the  Empress  Elizabeth  of  Austria. 

one  in  the  book,  even  the  cross  worn  there.  .  . 

In  the  late  Mr.  E.  G.  Bennett’s  valuable  book,  ‘The 
Direct  Phenomena  of  Spiritualism,’  he  gives  side  by 
side  illustrations  to  ‘Hated,  Prince  of  Persia,’  given 
under  the  mediumship  of  David  Duguid,  as  ‘Direct 


106  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


Spirit  Drawings,’  and  copies  of  almost  identical  pic¬ 
tures  from  ‘Cassell’s  Family  Bible.’  This  caused  a 
great  stir  at  the  time,  and  caused  the  withdrawal  of 
the  first  edition  of  ‘Hafed.’  It  does  not  necessarily 
show  that  David  Duguid’s  mediumship  was  fraudu¬ 
lent,  but  simply  that  ive  do  not  know  hoiv  the  image 
of  a  picture  may  be  retained  in  the  mind,  and  re¬ 
produced,  unknown  to  the  medium  * 

Mr.  Duguid  had  probably  seen  the  illustrations, 
and  they  would  naturally  impress  his  mind.  This  is 
the  direction  in  which  modern  scientific  research  is 
tending.  The  ‘facts’  are  accepted.  Our  task  lies  in 
the  future  in  their  interpretation.  ...  It  may 
be  mentioned  that  at  a  second  sitting  with  Mr.  Bours- 
nell,  when  Mr.  Barnes  was  accompanied  by  two  of  his 
children,  a  remarkable  series  of  spirit  photographs 
were  produced,  including  those  of  his  wife  and  sis¬ 
ter.  ’  ’ 

In  the  experiences  recorded  of  Mr.  Barnes,  a 
shrewd,  energetic  Antipodean,  we  glean  that  the  In¬ 
telligent  Operators  in  the  Invisible,  working  within 
the  mediumistie  aura  of  the  late  Mr.  Boursnell,  and 
that  of  his  sitter,  evidently  reproduced  a  face  which 
they  found  easiest  to  secure,  and  having  succeeded, 
were  then  able  at  the  next  sitting,  when  Mr.  Barnes 
brought  his  two  children  (making  still  more  favour¬ 
able  conditions)  to  give  him  the  photograph  of  bis 
late  wife,  and  thus  redeem  the  promise  made  to  him 
by  her  before  he  left  Australia.  The  power  by  which 
the  re-production  of  the  Empress’s  portrait  was 
made,  was  also  the  power  by  which  Mr.  Barnes  was 
enabled  to  get  the  identifiable  photograph  of  his  wife 
and  sister.  That  is  the  central  fact.  It  was  singu- 


ltali.es  are  mine. — T.  C. 


MR.  R.  BOURSNELL’S  MEDIUMSHIP  107 


larly  appropriate  that  the  re-production  of  the  Em¬ 
press  should  be  given  to  the  one  man  who  had  such 
a  special  interest  in  her  life. 

The  conclusion  appears  to  be  this  that  we  have  as 
much  evidence  for  the  psychical  reality  in  the  re-pro¬ 
duction — which  is  not  the  photograph  of  a  spirit  but 
of  an  earthly  object — as  we  have  in  the  identifiable 
portraits  of  the  departed  produced  by  similar  or  psy¬ 
chical  means. 

THE  SPIRIT  PHOTO  OP  PIET  BOTHA 

Mr.  W.  T.  Stead’s  article  “How  1  Know  the  Head 
Return,”  in  The  Fortnightly  Review  (January, 
1909)  bears  testimony  to  some  interesting  facts  in 
the  author’s  experience  as  to  spirit  return,  and  with 
spirit  photography.  He  tells — among  other  cases — 
how  he  obtained  the  photograph  of  Piet  Botha ;  the 
description  of  the  tierce-looking  old  Boer ;  the  name, 
etc.,  all  of  which  were  given  to  Mr.  Stead  by  Mrs. 
Boursnell,  before  the  exposure  of  the  plate.  Mr. 
Stead  knew  several  Bothas,  but  none  of  the  name  of 
Piet.  The  medium  was  doggedly  firm  and  insisted 
“that’s  what  he  says,”  meaning  the  name  given  by 
the  spirit.  Mr.  Stead  kept  the  matter  to  himself  till 
the  Conference  held  in  London  after  the  South  Afri¬ 
can  War.  The  photograph  was  sent  to  General 
Botha,  and  it  was  recognised  by  a  relative  and  sev¬ 
eral  of  the  late  Commandant’s  confreres. 

The  statements  made  by  Mr.  Stead  in  The  Fort¬ 
nightly  Review  were  not  long  unchallenged.  Mr.  J. 


108  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


N.  Maskelyne,  of  Eyptian  Hall  fame,  did  so  in  a 
Journal  called  the  Magic  Mirror.  The  redoubtable 


Fig.  22.  The  Photograph  of  Mr.  W.  T.  Stead  and  the  Psychic 
Picture  of  Piet  Botha,  taken  by  Mr.  Boursnell  in  1902. 
The  above  is  my  copy  of  the  much  handled  original  in  Mr. 
Stead’s  possession. 

Dr.  Andrew  Wilson  rescued  Mr.  Maskelyne ’s  criti¬ 
cism  from  obscurity.  To  be  perfectly  fair,  I  quote 


MR.  R.  BOURSNELL’S  MEDIUMSHIP  109 


the  exact  words.  Both  Maskelyne  and  Wilson  have 
the  usual  qualifications  of  “experts.”  They  possess 
no  knowledge  whatever  of  the  subject,  but  make  up 
for  this  with  abundant  animus.  Neither  of  these 
qualifications  are  helpful  in  scientific  research,  nor 
do  they  justify  confidence  in  their  conclusions.  Dr. 
Wilson,  in  The  London  Illustrated  News  (March  5th, 
1909)  says: — 

“With  Mr.  Stead  Mr.  Maskelyne  deals  very  effect¬ 
ively.  One  of  the  series  of  spirit-photographs  was 
claimed  by  Mr.  Stead  to  be  that  of  Piet  Botha,  a 
Boer  Commandant  killed  in  the  war.  It  was  alleged 
that  no  one  has  had  access  to  a  real  portrait  of  Piet 
Botha,  Mr.  Stead  saying  that  ‘no  one  in  England,  so 
far  as  I  have  been  able  to  ascertain,  knew  that  any 
Piet  Botha  ever  existed.’  Critically  regarded,  Mr. 
Stead’s  spirit-photograph  was  obviously  a  reproduc¬ 
tion,  not  a  direct  photograph.  Mr.  Maskelyne  states 
that  Botha  was  killed  at  the  siege  of  Kimberley,  on 
Oct.  24,  1899.  Four  days  later  the  news  of  his  death 
arrived  in  England,  and  on  Oct.  28,  the  Daily 
Graphic  published  a  portrait  of  the  deceased.  The 
value  of  Mr.  Stead’s  assertion  regarding  the  impos¬ 
sibility  of  a  photograph  having  existed,  and  that  no¬ 
body  knew  of  Botha’s  existence,  in  England,  may  be 
judged  from  the  foregoing  details,  and  also  from  the 
fact  that,  as  Piet  Botha  was  one  of  the  first  Boer 
Commandants  slain  in  the  war,  his  name  and  identity 
were  made  familiar  to  the  whole  world.” 

This  great  authority  modestly  adds: — 

“I  have  often  urged  the  extreme  importance  of 
every  statement  made  regarding  occult  matters,  from 
dreams  and  apparitions  to  spirit-photography,  being 
thoroughly  tested  by  the  rules  of  ordinary  and  ex¬ 
pert  evidence.  Few  of  us  have  the  opportunity  to 


110  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


undertake  such  a  task ,  but  when  it  has  been  accom¬ 
plished  the  result  is  invariably  the  same — the  relega¬ 
tion  of  the  marvellous  to  the  domain  of  the  common¬ 
place  or  that  of  fraud.  (Italics  are  mine. — J.  C.)  ” 

l  wrote  Mr.  Stead  in  March,  1910,  calling  his  at¬ 
tention  to  the  Wilson — cum — Maskelyne  explana¬ 
tions  ( ?),  and  asking  for  a  reply,  which  I  now  submit 
in  full : — 

“Bank  Buildings, 

Kingsway,  London,  W.  C. 

March  16th,  1910. 

Dear  Mr.  Coates, 

You  ask  me  for  my  testimony  about  spirit-photog¬ 
raphy,  especially  the  photograph  of  my  late  friend, 
Mr.  Boursnell.  What  I  have  to  say  is  very  brief,  but 
I  hope  it  is  to  the  point.  I  have  always  in  discussing 
the  question  of  spirit-photography  admitted  more 
than  is  necessary  to  the  adversary  for  the  sake  of  ar¬ 
gument.  I  say  I  am  quite  willing  to  admit,  if  they 
like,  always  for  the  sake  of  argument,  that  it  is 
absolutely  impossible  to  prevent  a  clever  photogra¬ 
pher,  who  is  also  a  skilful  conjurer,  producing  faked 
photographs  which  have  the  appearance  of  spirit  pic¬ 
tures.  I  am  also  willing  to  admit,  although  it  is  quite 
contrary  to  reasonable  commonsense,  that  even  if  you 
take  your  own  plates,  place  them  yourself  in  the  cam¬ 
era,  and  afterwards  develop  them  yourself,  without 
allowing  a  photographer  to  have  any  access  to  them, 
it  is  still  possible  that  the  spirit  picture  which  ap¬ 
pears  in  the  negative  may  be  the  result  of  fraud.  But 
when  all  that  is  said  and  done,  my  faith  in  the  real¬ 
ity  of  some  spirit  photographs  is  invincible,  and  for 
this  reason.  Fraud  can  do  many  things,  conjurers 
can  deceive  the  eye  of  the  most  vigilant  observer,  but 
there  are  limits  to  fraud  and  conjuring,  and  this  limit 
is  reached  when  a  photographer  is  confronted  with¬ 
out  notice  by  a  sitter  who  asks  him  to  take  a  photo- 


MR.  R.  BOURSNELL’S  MEDIUMSHIP  111 


graph  and  produce  the  portrait  of  a  deceased  friend 
or  relative  on  the  same  plate.  The  photographer  has 
no  means  of  knowing  whether  the  relative  desired  is 
a  man  or  woman,  adult  or  child.  If,  in  these  circum¬ 
stances  the  photographer  can  then  and  there  produce 
an  authentic  portrait  of  the  spirit  form  of  the  de¬ 
ceased  friend  or  relative  of  his  unknown  sitter,  then 
I  say  that  such  occurrences  cannot  be  explained  by 
any  conceivable  hypothesis  of  fraud  or  conjuring. 

Such  spirit  photographs  have  repeatedly  been  re¬ 
produced  by  Mr.  Boursnell  and  the  portraits  of  the 
spirit  people  have  been  so  clear  and  unmistakable  as 
to  be  instantly  recognised  by  the  sitter.  The  ablest 
conjurer  in  the  world  may  safely  be  challenged  to 
produce  such  likenesses  with  his  own  camera  in  his 
room,  when  he  has  had  ample  notice  and  afforded 
every  facility  for  using  the  tricks  of  his  trade,  but 
he  cannot  do  it.  Mr.  Boursnell  did  do  it.  Hence, 
whatever  may  be  said  about  many  of  the  pictures  of 
Mr.  Boursnell  which  were  not  recognised,  there  re¬ 
mains  a  sufficient  number  of  those  which  were  in¬ 
stantly  recognised  to  entirely  preclude  the  notion  that 
spirits  cannot  be  photographed  or  that  Mr.  Boursnell 
did  not  photograph  them. 

The  story  of  the  Piet  Botha  photograph  is  well 
known.  When  I  went  to  sit  with  Mr.  Boursnell  I  did 
not  know  that  Piet  Botha  was  dead.  He  appeared 
much  to.  Mr.  Boursnell ’s  siirprise  in  the  studio,  was 
photographed  standing  behind  me,  and  when  asked 
by  Mr.  Boursnell,  at  my  suggestion,  what  was  his 
name,  he  said  it  was  Piet  Botha.  Subsequent  re¬ 
search  proved  that  a  Botha,  whose  name  was  not 
given  as  Piet,  had  been  killed  at  an  early  period  of 
the  Boer  War.  A  portrait  of  this  Botha  had  been 
published  in  a  London  illustrated  paper.  It  bore 
not  the  least  resemblance  to  the  Piet  Botha  on  the 
Boursnell  picture.  I  kept  the  print  until  the  end  of 
the  war,  and  then  submitted  it  to  the  Boer  Delegates 
who  came  to  London  after  peace  had  been  made.  It 


112  PHOTOGRAPHING  TPIE  INVISIBLE 


•was  instantly  recognised  as  a  striking  likeness  of 
Commandant  Pietrns  Johannes  Botha,  who  was  the 
first  Boer  Commandant  killed  at  the  siege  of  Kimber¬ 
ley.  It  was  recognised  by  his  own  relative,  one  of 
the  Free  State  Delegates,  and  by  others  who  had 
served  with  him  during  the  war.  At  the  time  the 
portrait  appeared  on  the  plate,  and  as  far  as  I  know, 
up  to  the  present  time,  no  photograph  of  the  living 
man  has  been  seen  in  London.  I  was  not  expecting 
any  such  picture,  and  his  relatives  were  furious  at 
the  appearance  of  his  portrait  in  the  background  of 
my  portrait.  They  did  not  believe  in  Spiritualism, 
and  they  said  it  must  have  been  produced  by  some 
fraud,  but  they  did  not  dispute  the  authenticity  of 
the  likeness,  nor  could  they  dispute  the  accuracy  of 
my  statement  as  to  how  it  had  been  procured. 

There  is  much  that  can  be  said  on  this  subject,  but 
I  forbear. 

Yours  sincerely, 

W.  T.  Stead.” 

That  the  psychic  portrait  of  Piet  Botha  was  not  a 
reproduction  of  the  one  which  appeared  in  the  Daily 
Graphic,  (28th  Oct.,  1899)  is  clearly  seen  by  placing 
the  two  photographs  together,  a  method  which  might 
have  occurred  to  gentlemen  accustomed  to  test  re¬ 
ported  facts  “by  the  rules  of  ordinary  and  expert 
evidence.”  Possibly,  as  these  experts  did  not  want 
“the  opportunity  to  undertake  such  a  task,”  they  as¬ 
sumed,  conjectured  and  decided  what  they  thought 
must  be  the  case,  in  the  absence  of  evidence.  Had 
the  portraits  been  produced  side  by  side,  it  would 
have  been  seen  there  was  no  resemblance  between  the 
two  to  stamp  the  Boursnell  photo  “a  reproduction.” 
Had  it  been,  however,  that  would  not  prove  it  to  be 


MR.  R.  BOURSNELL’S  MEDIUMSHIP  113 


fraudulent,  as  in  scientific  investigation  of  spirit- 
photography  we  are  perfectly  familiar  with  repro¬ 
ductions,  duplications,  and  other  puzzles ;  and  we  can 
testify  to  their  genuineness. 

Since  the  receipt  of  Mr.  Stead’s  letter,  another  Sol¬ 
omon  has  come  to  judgment  in  the  person  of  Mr.  Wm. 
Marriott.  In  his  article  on  “Spirit  Photographs,” 
in  Pearson’s  Magazine,  (Aug.,  1910)  he  is  much  more 
interesting  than  Maskelyne,  and  writes  a  better  ar¬ 
ticle  than  Dr.  Wilson.  He  is  “an  expert,”  for  what¬ 
ever  qualifications  he  possesses,  he  is  quite  pleased 
with  himself  and  says : — 

“The  famous  spirit-photograph  of  Piet  Botha, 
taken  during  the  Boer  War,  was  recognised  by  those 
who  knew  him  in  South  Africa.  This  seems  curious 
at  first  sight,  but  the  mystery  vanishes  on  considera¬ 
tion.  Piet  Botha  was  recognised,  after  his  death,  in 
Boursnell’s  picture.  A  glance  will  show  that  this 
might  be  due  to  imagination,  as  the  spirit  face  is  ex¬ 
ceedingly  fuzzy  and  indistinct.  But  let  us  go  a  step 
further.  The  spirit  face  does  bear  a  striking  re¬ 
semblance  to  the  face  of  Boursnell  himself.” 

Mr.  Marriott  gives  his  readers  the  .benefit  of  his 
gifts  as  a  conjurer,  and  illustrates  his  article  with  a 
very  “fuzzy  and  indistinct  face  of  the  Boer  General 
— in  no  way  like  the  original  photograph — and  then 
produces  an  equally  indistinct  face  of  Boursnell, 
adorned  with  a  false  beard,  and  the  addition  of  some 
drapery,  by  which — he  assumed — Dir.  Boursnell  was 
enabled  to  convert  himself  into  a  tolerable  likeness  of 
Piet  Botha  : — 


114  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


“My  strong  suggestion  is  that  this  was,  in  effect, 
BoursnelPs  method  in  this  case.” 

If  Mr.  Maskelyne  was  right  in  asserting  that  this 
Boursnell  photograph  of  Piet  Botha  was  a  reproduc¬ 
tion  of  a  Daily  Graphic  print,  then  Mr.  Marriott  is 
wrong  in  his  “strong  suggestion.”  Before  accepting 
Marriott’s  “fuzzy  and  very  indistinct”  pictures  and 
equally  lucid  explanations  it  would  have  been  better- 
had  these  two  eminent  conjurers  and  experts  com¬ 
pared  notes  before  sending  their  articles  to  the  press. 

Mr.  Marriott’s  luminous  remark  that: 

“Piet  Botha  was  recognized,  after  his  death,  .in  the 
Boursnell ’s  picture,”  is  very  subtle  and  mysterious, 
and  worthy  of  “an  expert.”  But  having  no  sense 
whatever  in  it,  it  may  be  taken  as  a  fair  specimen  of 
the  conjectures  and  inanities  by  means  of  which  this 
writer  exposes — himself. 

The  spirit  photograph  was  recognised  by  the  per¬ 
sonal  friends  and  by  a  relative  of  the  late  Boer  Gen¬ 
eral,  who  could  not  be  deceived  by  a  “fuzzy  and  in¬ 
distinct.”  faked  picture  of  Boursnell,  not  even  if  they 
were  presented  with  it,  backed  by  Mr.  Marriott’s 
“strong  suggestion.”  These  men  were  in  a  better 
position  than  anyone  else  to  recognise  Piet  Botha, 
after  his  death,  seeing  they  knew  him  in  life.  Nei¬ 
ther  Maskelyne,  Marriott,  poor  Boursnell,  nor  his  in¬ 
trepid  defender,  Mr.  W.  T.  Stead,  possessed  that 
knowledge.  To  suppress  the  truth  and  suggest  that 
which  is  false,  has  ever  been  “the  guiding  rules  of 
ordinary  and  expert  evidence”  of  the  Cagliostros  of 


MR.  R,  BOURSNELL’S  MEDIUMSHIP  115 


the  stage.  In  this  case,  Marriott’s  evidence  ( ?) 
breaks  down  under  cross-examination. 

I  sent  the  foregoing  account  to  Mr.  E.  W.  Wallis, 
author  and  journalist,  who  (like  Mr.  Stead  and  a 
host  of  others)  knew  Mr.  Boursneli  well.  Comment¬ 
ing,  in  Light,  Mr.  Wallis  says: — 

“The  two  suggested  identifications  would  destroy 
one  another  even  if  both  were  not  equally  fantastic. 
Again,  portraits  can  be  converted  almost  ad  lib.;  and 
we  are  no  more  likely  to  see  the  features  of  Mr. 
Boursneli  in  the  ‘fuzzy  and  indistinct’  photograph  of 
Marriott’s  alleged  concoction  than  we  can  in  the 
other  much  more  definite  and  striking  face  of  Piet 
Botha,  in  the  print  sent  us  by  Mr.  Coates.  The  rec¬ 
ognition  of  the  deceased  Commandant  by  his  relative 
and  friends  in  a  photograph  obtained  by  a  process 
which  they  designated  as  ‘superstitious,’  and  appar¬ 
ently  regarded  with  the  utmost  distrust,  is  a  proof  of 
identity  which  it  will  need  much  more  than  the 
‘strong  suggestions’  and  suppositions  of  the  Maske- 
lynes  and  Marriotts  to  overthrow.  The  whole  atti¬ 
tude  of  the  Free  State  Delegates,  as  described  by 
Mr.  Stead,  was  that  of  men  who  were  forced  to  admit 
the  fact  of  identity  in  spite  of  their  own  strong  re¬ 
ligious  pre-suppositions  as  to  the  impossibility  of  any 
such  photograph  being  taken  in  England. 

We  do  not  see  that  anybody  can  go  behind  such 
testimony,  as  it  is  not  that  of  persons  predisposed  in 
favour  of  Spiritualism.” 

I  will  conclude  by  pointing  out  that  Mr.  W.  T. 
Stead’s  account  of  the  Piet  Botha  spirit  picture  and 
bis  published  interviews  with  Mr.  Fischer,  Mr.  Wes- 
sels — Piet  Botha’s  relative — and  the  other  Free 
Staters,  have  now  been  before  them  for  several  years, 


116  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


and  none  of  these  gentlemen  have  denied  the  identity 
of  the  original  in  the  photograph,  or  repudiated  the 
statements  which  they  are  said  to  have  made.  I  have 
taken  some  trouble  to  get  at  the  facts.  This  is  my 


case. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


MR.  R.  BOURSNELL’S  MEDIUMSHIP— 
CONTINUED 

Mr.  Robertson,  in  his  testimony  to  the  facts  of 
Spirit-Photography,  and  the  genuineness  of  Mr. 
Boursnell’s  mediumship  wrote  me  (5th  Aug.,  1910)  to 
the  following  effect : — 

“When  Mr.  Stead,  in  the  pages  of  Borderland , 
began  to  write  about  the  work  of  Mr.  Boursnell,  I  was 
deeply  interested.  As  usual,  a  large  amount  of  cyni¬ 
cism  of  the  usual  snarling  kind  followed  Boursnell. 
I  took  with  me  upon  going  to  him  a  packet  of  marked 
plates.  (Though  my  feeling  is  that  all  this  careful 
testing  rarely  brings  satisfaction  to  the  mind.  Better 
to  go  in  the  spirit  of  ti  ust  and  await  results.  If  what 
is  obtained  lacks  something  in  the  nature  of  a  crucial 
test,  then  wait  till  something  which  gets  beyond  all 
possible  tests  is  presented.)  Mr.  Boursnell  had  been 
so  oppressed  by  the  burden  of  assaults  made  upon 
him,  that  he  declined  my  request  to  experiment  with 
my  plates.  I  did  not  feel  in  the  least  annoyed.  I 
recognised  how  readily  the  sensitive  can  be  affected 
by  the  thoughts  of  others  and  sat  chatting  with  him 
for  an  hour  or  so.  lie  evidently  felt  that  I  was  an 
honest  truth-seeker,  with  some  ideas  of  what  the  con¬ 
ditions  of  mediumship  required,  because  he  said  at 
parting,  that  if  I  came  the  next  day  he  would  try 
and  meet  me.  I  weighed  the  man  up  and  felt  con¬ 
vinced  that  he  belonged  to  the  great  group  of  instru- 

117 


118  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


Fig.  li.'i.  Photograph  of  Mr.  Jas.  Robertson,  and  the  Psychic  Portrait  of  the  late  Mr.  John 
Lamont,  I/lverpool,  who  was  an  ardent  Spiritualist,  and  a  life-long  Friend  of  the  Author. 


MR.  R.  BOURSNELL ’S  MEDIUMSHIP  119 


ments  I  had  met  with,  men  and  women,  who  could 
not  explain  themselves,  but  only  knew  that  certain 
phenomena  transpired  in  their  presence.  I  was  out 
the  next  morning,  with  my  marked  plates,  and  was 
rewarded  to  the  full,  some  five  forms  appearing  on 
the  six  plates  1  had  brought.  I  did  not  recognise  any 
of  the  figures,  hut  there  was  much  evidence  of  a  col¬ 
lective  kind  which  followed  the  showing  of  the  pic¬ 
tures,  which  I  need  not  particularise.  I  was  given 
the  fullest  opportunity  to  follow  all  the  processes, 
including  development,  and  seeing  the  full  results, 
hut  all  this  is  of  little  value  to  those  who  have  a  bias 
agaipst  the  honesty  of  mediums.  The  test  has  to 
transcend  all  observation  of  sitters.  I  have  seen  sev¬ 
eral  hundreds  of  the  Boursnell  pictures.  I  have  had 
strong  assertions  of  men,  clear-headed,  scientific  in 
the  best  sense,  who  vouched  that  amongst  these  were 
the  veritable  portraits  of  their  decea'sed  friends.  Men 
and  women  in  position  do  not  care  about  associating 
their  names  with  a  subject  which  the  world  has  not 
come  in  line  with,  hence  I  cannot  use  their  names. 
All  over  the  country  I  have  been  shown  pictures  which 
brought  cheer  to  the  hearts  of  those  wdio  got  them. 

“The  picture  (Fig.  23)  of  John  Lamont,  of  Liver¬ 
pool,  a  man  loved  and  admired  in  the  ranks  of  Spirit¬ 
ualists,  appeared  on  a  plate  beside  me  at  one  of  my 
sittings,  when  Mr,  Boursnell  said  ‘This  man  says  he 
is  going  to  be  with  you  when  you  lecture  to-night.’ 
I  scarcely  think  the  remark  had  any  impression  upon 
me,  as  I  had  no  thought  it  would  be  corroborated. 
The  next  day  I  called  upon  a  well-known  medium, 
Mrs.  Manks,  who  said  at  once,  when  1  came  into  her 
presence,  ‘I  see  a  man  who  gives  the  name  of  John 
Lamont.  Why,’  she  said,  ‘1  saw  this  man  standing 
by  your  side  last  night  while  you  were  speaking.’  ’’ 

Mr.  James  Robertson,  writing  to  me  at  my  request, 
says : — • 


120  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


“The  ease  of  Janie  Dewar,  whom  I  knew  well  in 
the  body,  is  one  of  those  authentic  bits  of  evidence 


Fig.  24.  The  Photograph  of  Mr.  John  Dewar,  Glasgow,  and 
the  Psychic  Portrait  of  his  Sister  Janie.* 

*Mr.  John  Dewar,  Jr.,  went  to  Mr.  Boursnell’s,  hoping  to 
get  a  picture  of  his  mother,  but  received  instead  a  good  por¬ 
trait  of  his  deceased  sister  Janie.  Last  month  Janie  material- 


MR.  R.  BOURSN ELL’S  MEDIHMSHIP  121 


revealing  identity  from  which  there  is  no  getting 
away.  There  she  is  (Fig.  24)  by  her  brother,  the 
veritable  form  that  1  had  followed  to  the  grave  years 
before.  However  often  1  look  at  it  and  recall  the 
features,  there  comes  with  greater  force  and  con¬ 
viction  that  this  girl  (from  the  knowledge  of  Spirit¬ 
ualism  received  on  earth)  used  her  opportunity,  after 
the  change,  to  let  her  friends  know  that  she  was  still 
awake  in  that  other  life. 

The  story  was  told  by  me  in  the  pages  of  Border¬ 
land,  and  had  I  no  other  bit  of  evidence,  I  would  bring 
this  to  my  mind  as  something  authentic  from  the 
land  of  spirits.  No  doubt  in  some  future  year,  some¬ 
one  will  gather  together  the  scattered  evidences  of 
Mr.  Boursnell’s  gifts,  and  many  will  wonder  that 
such  a  thing  did  exist  and  so  many  remained  in 
ignorance.  The  most  transcendent  of  facts  has  been 
obscured  by  the  politics  and  the  gossip  of  the  hour. 
I  hold  the  man  in  reverence  that  lie  worked  on  amid 
the  calumny  which  assailed  him  and  was  content  to 
scatter  what  blessings  he  could  among  mortals.  A 
poor,  illiterate  man  no  doubt,  but  one  of  those  instru¬ 
ments  whom  the  spirit  people  recognised  had  the 
highest  virtues. '  ’ 

ized  at  my  family  seance,  stood  beside  me  and  kissed  me.  I 
went  twice  with  Mr.  Dewar  to  Boursnell’s,  Mr.  Dewar  taking 
his  own  plates  with  him.  Mr.  Boursncll  invited  Mr.  Dewar  to 
examine  the  camera  and  also  invited  us  both  into  the  dark 
room  and  requested  Mr.  Dewar  to  put  the  plates  in  the  slides. 
After  exposure  of  the  plates  in  the  camera,  Mr.  Boursnell  asked 
Mr.  Dewar  to  take  the  slides  to  the  dark-room,  to  remove  the 
plates  and  to  develop  them.  I  was  with  them  in  tiie  dark¬ 
room  during  the  process  of  development  and  fixing.  Others 
were  privileged  in  the  same  way  when  Mr.  Boursnell  felt  cer¬ 
tain  that  they  were  honest  and  earnest.- — Mr.  Andrew  Glendin- 
ning,  in  special  letter  written  to  Mr.  J.  J.  Morse,  Manchester 
and  reproduced  in  “A  History  of  Spirit  Photography  "  1909. 


122  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


Mr.  Archibald  M ’Arthur,  Laurel  Bank  House,  Crow 
Road,  Particle,  who  is  a  shrewd  business  man  and  is 
well  known  in  engineering  and  shipbuilding  circles  in 
the  Clyde,  bears  somewhat  similar  testimony  to  Air. 
Boursnell’s  bona-fides  and  courtesy.  Not  only  did 
Mr.  M ’Arthur  watch  all  the  processes  carried  out  with 
his  own  plates,  but  was  fortunate  to  receive  the  un¬ 
doubted  likenesses  of  departed  relatives.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  M ’Arthur  had  several  sittings  at  different  pe¬ 
riods  with  Mr.  Boursnell,  and  are  emphatic  in  their 
testimony  as  to  the  genuineness  of  Boursnell’s  med- 
iumship  and  as  to  the  identification  of  psychic  por¬ 
traits  received. 

Mr.  Duncan  Mackintosh,  2  Royal  Terrace,  Spring- 
burn,  Glasgow,  brought  for  my  inspection  three  photo¬ 
graphs  taken  by  Mr.  Boursnell,  for  Mrs.  Shaw,  303 
Sauehiehall  Street,  Glasgow.  (Mrs.  Shaw  is  the  lady 
with  whom  Mr.  Wyllie  obtained  the  second  and  much 
better  picture  of  Mrs.  Coates’  daughter,  described 
elsewhere. ) 

Mrs.  Shaw  states  that  on  the  occasion  when  these 
photographs  were  taken  Mr.  Boursnell  was  in  a  more 
or  less  trancelike  state,  and  in  every  instance  he  gave 
a  full  description  of  each  invisible  before  the 
exposure. 

Concerning  portrait  (Fig.  25),  Mrs.  Shaw  says: — 

I  was  only  six  years  of  age  when  grandma  died,  so 
that  my  recollection  of  her  would  not  be  thought  of 
sufficient  weight  by  itself,  but  all  who  knew  my  grand¬ 
mother  have  recognised  this  spirit  picture  of  her.  Mr. 
Boursnell,  the  photographer,  was  unknown  to  me  be¬ 
fore  I  sat  in  his  place.  I  know  of  no  means  by  which 


MR.  R.  BOURSNELL’S  MEDIUMSHIP  123 


lie  could  have  obtained  and  produced  for  me  this 
fully  identified  picture  of  my  grandmother,  whom  I 
so  well  remember. 


Fig.  25.  The  Photograph  of  Mrs.  Sliavv,  anil  the  Psychic  Pic¬ 
ture  of  her  Maternal  Grandmother. 

In  addition  to  Ibis  statement  by  Mrs.  Shaw,  I  asked 
for  corroboration.  Mr.  Duncan  Mackintosh  (date 
8th  Oct.,  1910)  writes: — 


124  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


“The  people  who  recognise  the  ‘extra’  as  Mrs. 
Shaw’s  grandmother  are  Mrs.  Shaw’s  own  mother  and 
her  cousins  in  Halifax,  Yorkshire.  When  Mrs. 
Shaw's  mother  first  saw  the  photograph,  she  exclaimed 
'  I  hope  that  you  have  not  disturbed  mother  in  her 
grave!’  I  called  the  other  evening  and  spoke  to  the 
lady  herself.  She  admitted  that  these  were  the  words 
she  used.  This  lady  is  a  fresh,  keen,  critical  sort  of 
person  and  not  likely  to  make  a  mistake  in  recognising 
the  portrait  of  her  mother.  Other  members  of  Mrs. 
Shaw’s  family  recognise  the  psychic  picture  of  her 
grandmother,  but  as  they  are  so  averse  to  Spiritual¬ 
ism.  they  will  not  give  their  names  for  publication 
in  your  book.” 

I  again  wrote  Mr.  Mackintosh  and  said  that  I  con¬ 
sidered  the  testimony  of  Mrs.  Shaw’s  mother  more  im¬ 
portant  than  her  own.  In  this  favour  of  14th  Oct., 
1910,  I  received  the  following: — 

“I  authorise  you  to  say  that  the  spirit  face  which 
appears  on  the  photograph  of  my  daughter,  Mrs. 
Shaw,  is  that  of  my  mother,  Hannah  Ivaye,  who  died 
Dec.  27,  1874. 

She  is. also  recognised  by  Mrs.  IT.  E.  Shaw. 

Sarah  Ann  Easton, 

37  Newcomen  Terrace,  Coatham,  Redcar,  Yorks.” 

I  know  Mi-.  Mackintosh  personally,  and  several  good 
people  who  know  Mrs.  Shaw,  and  all  testify  to  the 
latter’s  good  repute.  As  to  those  who  recognize  the 
spirit  photograph,  but  decline  to  give  their  names,  I 
can  only  say  this  is  a  common  experience.  It.  is  not 
surprising,  as  we  find  that  many  convinced  Spiritual¬ 
ists  do  the  same,  although  the  motives  may  lie  differ¬ 
ent. 


MR.  R.  BOURSNELL’S  MEDIUMSHIP  125 


Mr.  John  Auld  visited  the  late  Mr.  Boursnell  in  the 
hope  of  obtaining  the  photograph  of  his  wife.  In¬ 
stead,  he  received  two  prints  of  a  man  and  that  of  two 
females  as  “extras”  and  none  of  these  were  recog- 


.Fig.  2G.  Photograph  of  the  Author  is  introduced  for  com¬ 
parison  with  the  assumed  Psychic  Picture  of  his  Father. 

nized  by  him.  Of  these  three,  that  of  the  man  is,  I 
sincerely  believe,  the  psychic  portrait  of  my  own 
father.  That  named  Lizzie  represents  one  whom  I 
knew  for  many  years.  The  second  female,  not  recog¬ 
nized  by  Mr.  John  Auld,  has  claimed  to  be  a  relative, 
and  is  certainly  remarkably  like  a  daughter  of 


126  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


hers  now  living.  I  produce  the  attempt  of  the  Invis¬ 
ibles  to  give  me  the  psychic  portrait  of  my  father, 
who  entered  the  higher  life  twenty-five  years  ago. 

At  my  time  of  life,  my  relatives  are  few  in  num¬ 
ber  and  are  non-Spiritualists.  I  sent  the  photograph 
to  three.  One  would  not  look  at  a  psychic  picture. 
Another  said,  “Yes,  we  know  who  you  think  it  is.  It 
is  physiognomically  and  ethnologically  correct.”  A 
third  was  of  the  opinion  that  I  must  Have  used  my 
will  power  and  in  some  way  caused  the  portrait  to 
come  on  the  plates.  Strangers  to  the  original,  resident 
here,  who  have  known  me  for  the  last  twenty  years, 
are  all  struck  with  the  likeness  of  the  psychic  picture 
to  myself.  My  relatives  are  agreed  that  1  am  now 
much  like  what  my  father  was.  The  evidence  which  I 
offer  is  very  meager,  and  my  readers  can  judge  for 
themselves  by  examining  the  two  photographs  given. 

I  have  not  been  in  London  for  thirty  odd  years.  I 
neither  knew  nor  sat  with  Mr.  Boursnell.  No  similar 
photographs  have  been  in  existence!  Why  these  “ex¬ 
tras”  came  on  the  plates  with  Mr.  Auld,  I  can  only 
surmise — which  is  neither  ordinary  nor  expert  evi¬ 
dence — but  my  surmise  is  that  the  Intelligences  in  the 
Invisible  took  advantage  of  the  opportunity  to  have 
these — psychically  produced — faces  photographed. 
Mr.  John  Auld  and  I  have  have  been  associated  for 
years  in  the  study  of  the  psychic. 

I  give  extracts  from  Mr.  Auld’s  letter  of  1st  July, 
1909,  in  further  substantiation  of  the  foregoing: — 


MR.  R.  BOURSNELL’S  MEDIUMSHIP  127 


Pig.  27.  The  Photograph  of  Mr.  John  Auld,  and  the  Psychic 
Portrait  of  the  Author’s  Father. 


128  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


“Dear  Mr.  Coates:  In  September,  1908,  while 
visiting  London,  I  embraced  the  opportunity  of  call¬ 
ing  upon  Mr.  Boursnell  and  got  my  photograph  taken, 
in  the  hope  that  some  psychic  figures  might  come  on 
the  plate.  Mr.  Boursnell  met  me  at  the  door  and 
escorted  me  upstairs  to  a  large  room,  apparently  a 
dining-room,  with  two  windows  facing  the  street. 
Before  taking  my  photograph,  he  said  there  were  three 
psychic  forms  present  in  my  surroundings,  a  man 
and  two  ladies.  He  also  got  the  name  of  ‘Lizzie.’  In 
broad  daylight,  he  exposed  two  plates  in  succession, 
withdrew  the  slide  and  put  in  a  fresh  one,  and  the 
plates  in  this  were  rapidly  exposed.  On  the  receipt 
of  the  cabinets  I  found  on  two  the  face  of  a  gentle¬ 
man  about  70  years  of  age ;  snow-white  hair  on  head, 
silvery  whiskers,  moustache  and  beard ;  expressive 
eyes,  a  countenance  of  much  refinement,  glowing  with 
intelligence  and  advanced  spirituality.  On  the  other 
two  plates  were  two  ladies,  unknown  to  me. 

Mr.  James  Robertson,  who  has  an  extensive  collec¬ 
tion  and  has  seen  hundreds  of  psychic  photographs, 
says  they  are  new  to  him.  Mr.  Robertson  has  obtained 
through  Mr.  Boursnell,  photographs  of  departed 
friends  under  conditions  beyond  cavil.  Mr.  Wm.  T. 
Stead,  of  the  Review  of  Reviews,  and  Mr.  John  Lobb, 
editor  of  the  Christian  Age  for  over  thirty  years, 
have  had  speaking  likenesses  of  departed  friends,  and 
from  other  sources  of  testimony,  together  with  my 
own  favourable  impressions  on  seeing  Mr.  Boursnell, 
I  did  not  think  it  necessary  to  have  my  photographs 
taken  under  test  conditions. 

John  Auld. ’’ 

Mr.  A.  Mackellar,  17  Calderwood  Road,  Merryea, 
Newlands,  Glasgow,  whom  I  know  as  a  man  of  integ¬ 
rity  and  sound  judgment,  having  considerable  ex¬ 
perience  in  psychic  photography,  wrote  me  (29tli  May, 
1910,)  in  response  to  a  note  I  sent  him.  He  enclosed 


MR.  R.  BOURSNELL’S  MEDIUMSHIP  129 


a  large  parcel  of  prints  and  negatives  for  inspection, 
including  the  identified  photographs  of  a  sister,  a 
daughter  and  of  a  late  family  doctor,  well  known  to 
some  of  us  in  Glasgow,  and  says : — 

“My  own  photographs  are  very  faded  and  they 
cannot  be  of  any  weight,  for  your  hook,  as  they  were 
not  taken  under  conditions  that  would  satisfy  the 
skeptics.  This  is  very  unfortunate,  as  I  have  no  doubt 
of  the  genuineness  of  the  one  selected  (the  doctor. — 
J.  C.)  and  I  am  not  at  liberty  to  give  the  names  for 
publication.” 

This  shows  the  inherent  fairness  of  the  man.  He 
as  well  as  I  know  that  Boursnell  could  not  produce 
the  identifiable  photographs  of  persons  unknown  ex¬ 
cept  under  mediumistic  conditions.  Out  of  Mr.  Mac- 
kellar’s  large  collection,  I  produce  one  and  refer  to 
two  others. 

Mr.  Mackellar’s  account  is  accompanied  by  a  photo¬ 
graph  of  his  daughter  taken  in  life  three  or  four 
years  before  she  passed  away.  The  hair,  nose,  lips  and 
eyes  present  by  their  strong  resemblance  evidence  of 
the  correctness  of  the  father’s  statement.  Relatives 
and  friends  recognize  the  psychic  photograph,  and 
it  was  because  1  knew  Plorrie  in  life  and  had  seen  her 
photograph  at  a  previous  time  that  I  wrote  Mr.  Mac- 
kellar  for  particulars. 

The  psychic  photographs  of  Mr.  Mackellar’s  sister, 
while  quite  recognisable,  are  too  faded  for  process 
blocks.  1  regret  this,  as  the  evidence  is  equally  good 
and  is  supported  by  a  photograph  taken  in  life.  I  did 
not  know  this  lady. 


130  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


As  to  the  doctor's  psychic  photograph,  I  cannot  do 
better  than  produce,  summarised,  Mr.  Mackellar’s 
account : — 


Fig.  28.  The  Photograph  of  Mr.  A.  Maekellar  and  his  Daughter  Florrie, 

done  by  Boursnell. 


“I  called  on  Mr.  Boursnell,  along  with  my  daugh¬ 
ter  Nan,  in  the  hope  that  I  would  get  a  photograph  of 
my  late  wife  (her  mother).  I  had  previously  received 
very  remaikable  spirit  photographs  from  Mr.  Bours¬ 
nell,  and  hoped  that  on  this  visit  I  would  be  success¬ 
ful,  from  the  fact  that  my  wife  in  her  lifetime  was 
a  splendid  medium.  I  was  on  holiday  and  in  the  best 
of  spirits,  but  when  I  sat  down  before  the  camera  a 


MR.  R.  BOURSNELL ’S  MEDIUMS  I  LI  l*  131 


severe  depression  eaine  over  me  anti  an  irresistible 
inclination  to  weep,  which,  however,  soon  passed  off. 

Mr.  Boursnell  described  the  spirit  (a  clergyman) 
with  whom,  he  said,  I  had  been  associated  in  my 
earlier  days.  1  did  not  recognise  the  description. 
When  l  received  the  print,  I  at  once  recognised  the 
striking  photograph  of  the  family  doctor  who  had  at¬ 
tended  me  from  childhood  until  well  on  in  life.  He 
had  attended  a  daughter  of  mine  constantly  for  over 
a  year,  (The  italics  are  mine. — J.  C.)  in  which  the 
subject  of  Spiritualism  often  came  up.  I  showed  the 
photograph  to  his  son  (also  a  medical  man  in  the 
City)  who  admitted  it  was  a  remarkable  likeness  of 
his  father.  Dr.  L.  is  not  a  Spiritualist,  but  I  have 
reason  to  know  he  was  much  impressed  with  it.  That 
Mr.  Boursnell  described  him  as  a  minister  is  easily 
accounted  for  by  the  fact  that  the  late  doctor  had 
quite  a  clerical  appearance.  This  to  me  is  one  of  the 
points  that  tell,  along  with  others,  as  it  showed  Mr. 
Boursnell  was  describing  what  the  spirit  seemed  to  be. 

I  have  shown  this  photograph  to  others  and  also  to 
a  doctor  who  knew  Dr.  L.  in  London.  He  did  not 
recognise  the  likeness.  Here  is  a  photograph  recog¬ 
nised  by  bis  son  and  not  a  Spiritualist,  and  not  recog¬ 
nised  by  a  colleague,  a  Spiritualist,  whom  one  would 
expect  to  know. 

As  to  the  depression  I  experienced  at  the  time  of 
sitting,  I  have  since  learned  it  was  due  to  the  disap¬ 
pointment  of  the  spirit  who  wanted  to  show  herself, 
but  was  unable — from  some  cause  not  understood — to 
manifest. 

A.  Mackellak.  ” 


The  evidence  in  these  cases  is  excellent,  although 
not  sufficient  for  a  skeptic  ignorant  of  the  facts  and 
having  no  personal  experience  of  a  like  character. 

I  wrote  to  Mr.  John  Lobb,  F.  R.  G.  S.,  F.  R.  Hist. 


132  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


S.,  who  had  been  for  thirty  years  editor  and  proprietor 
of  the  Christian  Age,  and  who  had  not  become  less 
Christian  but  more  so  from  his  investigations  of  Spir¬ 
itualism.  His  testimony  I  esteem  of  value,  he  being  a 
man  of  affairs,  having  an  outstanding  reputation  in 
London  as  journalist,  author  and  lecturer;  a  man  hon¬ 
oured  by  Her  Majesty  Queen  Victoria,  and  by  his 
fellow  citizens. 


THE  TESTIMONY — SLIGHTLY  CONDENSED — OF  MR,  JOHN 
LOBB  TO  SOME  EXPERIENCES  IN  SPIRIT  PHOTOGRAPHY. 

“In  the  year  1904,  I  was  introduced  to  the  late 
Mr.  R.  Boursnell,  the  well-known  medium,  of  15 
Richmond  Road,  Shepherd’s  Bush,  W.  I  was  startled 
by  his  clairvoyant,  and  clairaudient  powers.  While 
sitting  in  front  of  the  camera,  he  described  the  spirit 
forms  of  old  friends  with  whom  I  had  been  associated 
in  public  life,  and  some  of  them  appeared  on  the  sen¬ 
sitive  plates.  Up  to  the  time  of  his  passing,  on  Dec. 
21,  1909,  hardly  a  week  passed  but  I  had  to  meet  the 
wishes  of  bereaved  by  an  introduction  to  the  dear 
old,  simple,  unpretentious  mediumistic  photographer, 
for  the  portrait  of  their  dead,  who  for  upwards  of 
twenty  years  dried  the  tears  and  lifted  sorrow  from 
aching  hearts.  On  Friday  evening,  May  3,  1907,  the 
beloved  wife  of  Mr.  Andrew  Glendinning,  the  editor 
of  The  Veil  Lifted,  manifested  to  Mrs.  Lobb  and  my¬ 
self,  and  urged  that  we  both  visit  Mr.  Boursnell  on 
the  following  Tuesday,  May  7th,  and  we  were  to  in¬ 
sist  that  Mr.  Glendinning  go  with  us.  Neither  Mrs. 
Lobb  nor  myself  knew  that  that  date  was  the  birth¬ 
day  of  her  husband.  She  came,  and  to  the  delight  of 
husband,  children  and  friends,  her  sweet  face  appears 
on  the  sensitive  plate,  with  others,  from  the  Spirit- 
World.  After  nine  months  in  the  spirit  life,  the  be- 


MR,  R.  BOURSNELL’S  MEDIUMSHIP  133 


loved  wife  returns  and  is  photographed  on  her  hus¬ 
band’s  81st,  birthday.”* 

They  are  now  no  longer  separated  by  the  veil  of 
time  and  sense,  and  seeing  no  longer  as  through  a  glass 
darkly,  they  pursue  the  pathway  of  eternal  progress, 
illuminated  by  the  love  of  God,  which  united  them 
on  earth. 

The  power  of  spirits  to  cause  representations  of 
their  forms  to  be  impressed  upon  the  sensitive  sur¬ 
faces  of  chemically  prepared  plates  of  the  photog¬ 
rapher  has,  like  other  psychic  powers,  been  denied 

*In  confirmation  of  the  above,  my  late  much  esteemed  cor¬ 
respondent,  Mr.  Andrew  Glendenning,  correcting  an  error  of 
mine,  referred  me  to  a  communication  of  his  published  in 
The  Tivo  Worlds ,  in  1909.  “I  fear  I  am  sending  too  long  a 
letter,  so  now  I  pass  on  to  mention  the  crowning  glory  of  my 
life,  so  far  as  regards  spirit  photography.  This  is  a  wonder¬ 
ful — very  wonderful — portrait  of  my  dear  wife,  obtained 
through  Mr.  Boursnell  nine  months  after  her  translation  to 
the  higher  life.  It  is  quite  different  from  all  the  photographs 
of  her  taken  during  her  earth  life,  and  yet  it  is  her  very 
image  as  she  was  shortly  before  and  during  her  last  illness. 
When  my  family  saw  an  enlargement  of  it  they  were  all  so 
delighted  with  it  that  I  had  to  get  seven  copies  made,  so  that 
each  might  have  one  to  frame.  The  doctor  who  attended  her 
gazed  at  the  remarkable  photograph  and  astcen  how  I  got  it. 
He  not  knowing  of  Spiritualism,  I  did  not  try  to  explain, 
but  merely  said,  ‘You  see  it  is  my  wife’s  portrait.’  He  re¬ 
plied,  ‘Yes,  and  it  is  an  excellent  likeness.’ 

“She  always  materializes  at  our  family  seances,  is  very  fre¬ 
quently  with  me,  and  says  she  will  be  until  I  pass  on.  She 
says  to  me  ‘I  am  not  separated  from  you  as  you  are  from 
me.’  Such  are  the  joys  and  comforts  of  Spiritualism.  Those 
called  dead  still  live  and  love  us.  They  can  and  do  return 
to  cheer,  to  guide  and  bless  us. — Andrew  Glendinning.” 


134  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


and  ridiculed,  but  the  possession  of  this  power  is  now 
a  well  established  fact.  Dr.  Alfred  Russel  Wallace, 
O.  M.,  F.  R.  S.,  the  famous  scientist,  and  collaborator 
with  Darwin  in  establishing  the  doctrine  of  evolution, 
in  his  famous  book,  “Miracles  and  Modern  Spiritual¬ 
ism,”  pp.  188  to  205,  deals  with  spirit  photography 
scientifically,  supplying  an  accumulation  of  indisput¬ 
able  evidence  of  the  fact  that  spirits  from  the  unseen 
world  do  materialise  for  their  portraits,  and  are  iden¬ 
tified  by  their  friends.  Sir  William  Crookes,  F.  R. 
S.,  etc.,  an  expert  with  the  photographic  camera,  has 
in  his  possession  forty-four  negatives.  Others,  both 
in  England  and  abroad,  possess  numerous  portraits 
of  their  departed  friends.  ‘Doubtful  Thomas’  has 
seen  his  own  plates  used,  and  seen  for  himself  the 
operator  develop  his  sensitive  plate  on  which  one  or 
more  of  his  loved  ones  show  themselves. 

The  portrait  of  my  sister,  after  a  residence  in 
spirit  life  for  many  years  returns  as  she  now  appears 
in  spirit  life.  She  was  my  only  sister.  She  died 
young ;  I  attended  on  her  in  her  dying  hours,  and  she 
touchingly  recalled  incidents.  Dear  C.  H.  Spurgeon, 
my  old  and  valued  friend  of  thirty -five  years’  close 
connection  in  religious  work,  constantly  seen  with  me 
on  the  platform,  after  fourteen  years  and  five  months 
in  spirit  life,  materialises  for  his  photograph.  .  .  . 

So  sorry  to  have  forgotten  your  request,  but  so 
many  callers  keep  me  busy.  Mrs.  Lobb  joins  me  in 
loving  thoughts  and  prayers  for  the  Dear  Master’s 
blessing  on  you  and  yours,  Sincerely  yours, 

John  Lobb.” 


In  Mr.  Lobb’s  P.  C.  dated  Jany.  5th,  1911,  he  states 
in  the  most  matter  of  fact  way : — 

“Dear  Friends:  Mr.  Andrew  Glendinning  ap¬ 
peared  here  at  6 :30  this  evening  smiling  .  .  . 

John  Lobb.  Considering  I  have  recorded  the  passing 


MR.  R.  BOURSNELL’S  MEDIUMSHIP  135 


away  of  Mr.  Glendinning  in  October,  1010,  the  state¬ 
ment  is  arresting.” 


Fig.  29.  'I'lie  Photograph  of  Mr.  Charles  Davieson,  and  the 
Psychic  Picture  of  his  Brother,  Mr.  Edward  Davieson,  done 
by  Mr.  Boursnell. 

Mr.  Boursnell  took  three  photographs  of  Mr.  Charles 
Davieson,  and  the  “extras”  on  these  were  two  females 


136  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


and  one  male.  The  two  former  were  not  recognized. 
They  are  well  defined,  full  length  figures.  The  latter 
was  Mr.  Davieson ’s  brother,  between  whom  and  him¬ 
self  there  was  a  strong  attachment.  The  evidence 
consists  of  the  recognition  of  the  spirit  photograph  by 
Mr.  Charles  Davieson,  who  resides  at  Leipzig  House, 
22  Church  Road,  St.  Leonards-on-Sea ;  by  Dr.  David 
Davieson,  another  brother  at  present  in  practice  at 
South  Broadway,  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  U.  S.  A. ;  by  bis 
surviving  sister,  Mrs.  Fred  Simpson,  Beech  Hurst, 
Preston  Road,  Cliorley,  Lancashire ;  and  by  Mr.  Ru¬ 
ben  Jordon,  28  Drayton  Road,  Harlesden,  London,  all 
of  whom  knew  the  late  Mr.  Edward  intimately.  He 
passed  away  twenty  years  prior  to  the  photograph  be¬ 
ing  taken.  Mr.  Charles  Davieson  is  a  son  of  Dr. 
Davieson,  Liverpool,  an  able  medical  man — himself  a 
Jew — having  a  large  practice  there  some  years  ago. 
Mr.  Davieson  is  of  the  Jewish  persuasion  (a  descend¬ 
ant  of  Mendelssohn)  and  a  musician,  having  gradu¬ 
ated  at  the  Conservatorium  in  Leipzig.  Mr.  Davieson 
became  interested  in  Spiritualism  through  the  force 
of  facts,  and  is  a  most  competent  witness  to  psychic 
experiences.  He  testifies  to  the  remarkable  medium- 
ship  of  Mr.  Boursnell. 

THE  TESTIMONY  OP  A.  P.  SINNETT,  THE  THEOSOPHIST. 

I  thought  I  should  like  to  obtain  the  opinion  of  a 
leading  Theosophist  on  what  is  termed  Spirit-Photog¬ 
raphy,  and  as  Mr.  A.  P.  Sinnett,  Author  and  Journal¬ 
ist,  and  Editor — at  one  time — of  a  prominent  maga- 


MR,  R.  BOURSNELL’S  MEDIUMSHIP  137 


zine,  is  one  of  the  best  known  and  most  advanced 
Theosophists  in  the  world  to-day,  I  wrote  to  him  on 
20th  August,  1910. 


Fig.  30.  Tlie  Photograph  of  Mr.  A.  P.  Sinnett,  and  Psychic 
“extra,”  unrecognized  by  the  Sitter,  taken  under  the  Test 
Conditions  detailed  in  Letter. 


138  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


“59  Jermyn  St.,  London,  S.  W. 

Sept,  1,  1910. 

Dear  Sir :  I  received  your  letter  of  the  20th  ult. 
I  send  you  a  photograph  done  by  Boursnell,  but  on  a 
plate  of  my  own,  taken  from  a  new  packet,  opened 
by  myself  in  his  dark-room,  and  put  by  me  into  a 
dark  slide  and  used  in  a  camera  I  have  examined, 
which  was  certainly  free  from  tricks.  I  sat  as  you  see 
— went  back  with  Boursnell  into  the  dark-room  and 
saw  the  plate  developed.  I  do  not  see  how  I  conld 
be  cheated  under  these  conditions. 

Yours  very  truly, 

A.  P.  SlNNETT.” 

As  Mr.  A.  P.  Sinnett  had  not  only  taken  an  active 
part  and  was  in  fact  the  initiator  of  the  Daily  Mail 
Spirit — Photography  Commission,  and  once  wrote  a 
paper  about  “Photographing  the  Unseen,”  I  further 
addressed  him,  sending  him  the  above  summary  of  his 
letter,  which  I  proposed  to  publish.  I  inquired 
whether  he  had  any  experience  with  other  mediums, 
had  he  recognized  the  psychic  portraits  and  what  was 
his  opinion  as  to  the  nature  of  these  “extras.”  I 
give  his  characteristic  reply: — 

“69  Jermyn  St.,  S.  W. 

Sept.  6,  1910. 

Dear  Sir:  I  have  no  objection  to  your  proposal 
to  publish  my  former  letter,  as  enclosed.  I  have  had 
no  experience  of  any  other  photographic  mediums 
besides  Boursnell.  I  do  not  recognise  the  figure  on 
the  print  I  send  you — nor  do  I  attach  any  importance 
to  the  circumstance  when  such  figures  appear  to  re¬ 
semble  persons  known  to  the  sitter.  Entities  on  the 
astral  plane  seem  to  have  the  power  of  personating 
others  to  an  unlimited  extent.  Yours  truly, 

A.  P.  Sinistett.” 


MR.  R.  BOURSNELL ’S  MEDIUMSHIP  139 


Mr.  Sinnett  (whose  experience  with  Mi-.  Boursnell 
was  by  no  means  confined  to  the  obtaining  of  the 
test  recorded)  is  convinced  of  the  genuineness  not 
only  of  the  medium  and  of  psychic-photography,  but 
not,  as  it  will  be  noted,  that  these  spirit-photographs 
are  the  portraits  of  departed  persons.  1  give  Mr.  Sin- 
nett’s  opinion  as  a  side-light  on  the  subject.  But 
whether  “Entities  on  the  astral  plane  have  the  power 
of  personating  others  to  an  unlimited  extent,”  I  con¬ 
fess  1  do  not  know,  and  regret  that  my  ignorance  lias 
to  be  confessed.  Mr.  Sinnett  requires  no  introduction 
to  the  reading  public.  His  testimony  to  the  Fact  of 
psychic-photography  is  deemed  by  me  of  sufficient  im¬ 
portance  to  produce  here. 

Owing  to  the  pressure  on  my  space,  I  have  had 
to  rule  out  many  interesting  cases,  and  would  merely 
mention  in  conclusion  that  in  many  instances  of  late 
years  Mr.  Boursnell  declined  to  submit  to  the  pro¬ 
posals  of  “experts.”  In  this  he  was  quite  right.  There 
is  no  doubt  his  identifiable  spirit  photographs  furnish 
their  own  best  evidence.  At  the  same  time  it  is  due 
to  him  to  state  that  he  frequently  submitted  to  be 
tested — and  under  these  conditions  “extras”  were  ob¬ 
tained,  hundreds  of  which  were  identified. 


140  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


Fig.  31.  Photograph  of  Mr.  F.  Pice.  Greigsville,  Livingston  Co..  New  York  State,  U.  S.  A., 
with  several  Psychic  Portraits  showing  the  advance  made  from  Mumler's  time.  Mr.  Rice  was 
a  friend  of  the  late  Mrs.  Emma  Hardinge-Brltten.  The  above  was  intended  for  the  Ency¬ 
clopedia  of  Spiritualism  which  that  lady  prepared  for  publication.  Mrs.  Wilkinson,  of 
Stretford,  Mrs.  Britten's  surviving  sister,  presented  it  for  this  work.  I  put  it  in  for  her 
sake.  The  photograph  is  credited  to  Mr.  Frank  Foster. 


CHAPTER  VII 


SOME  AMERICAN  CASES 

In  this  chapter  I  give  a  few  unrelated  cases,  rang¬ 
ing  from  the  days  of  Mumler  to  the  present  time. 
I  regret  I  have  none  of  those  taken  by  Drs.  Haus- 
mann  and  Keeler,  of  Washington,  U.  S.  A. 

The  late  Professor  Gunning,  one  of  the  ablest  geolo¬ 
gists  in  America,  sent  a  long  and  interesting  letter 
to  the  New  York  Tribune.  Although  it  was  written 
just  about  the  period  (1872)  when  experiments  in 
Spirit  Photography  were  first  attempted  in  Great 
Britain,  the  thoughts  suggested  are  as  appropriate 
now  as  then. 

Space  will  not  admit  the  production  in  full  of  the 
letter.  After  contrasting  the  treatment  and  dismis¬ 
sal  of  psychic  facts  by  Mr.  Herbert  Spencer  on  a’ 
priori  grounds,  with  that  of  his  friend  Dr.  Wallace, 
“one  of  the  first  Naturalists  of  Europe,”  he  gives  the 
results  of  his  experimentation — assisted  by  a  com¬ 
petent  friend — with  a  photographer  on  four  after¬ 
noons  when  they  obtained  several  times  the  psychic 
form — bright  though  vapoury — of  a  woman.  Dupli¬ 
cations  of  the  same  form  which  came  on  his  plates 


141 


U2  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


when  having  an  ordinary  sitting  with  the  same 
photographer  a  short  time  previously.  The  operator 
in  this  instance  was  a  non-Spiritualist  and  had  a 
horror  that  his  name  should  be  mixed  up  with  Spirit¬ 
ualism  in  any  form.  Professor  Gunning  states  that 
this  photographer  gave  the  use  of  his  rooms,  chemicals 
and  time  without  charge;  that  he  (Professor  Gun¬ 
ning)  and  his  expert  photographic  assistant,  took 
every  precaution  to  prevent  and  detect  trickery. 
Throughout  their  careful  experimentation  this  psychic 
form  persisted. 

In  the  same  letter  he  gives  a  long  and  carefully  de¬ 
tailed  account  of  a  psychic  picture  obtained  under 
remarkable  circumstances.  The  sitter,  a  young  lady, 
as  well  as  the  operator  were  non-Spiritualists.  Pho¬ 
tographing  the  young  lady  on  a  new  sheet  of  tin,  giv¬ 
ing  eight  portraits,  there  were  on  the  plate  and  on 
each  portrait  a  pair  of  hands  clasped  round  the  sit¬ 
ter’s  neck,  the  right  hand  coming  on  the  chin  and  the 
left  partly  thrust  under  the  girl’s  collar.  The  hands 
are  shown  up  to  the  wrist  and  then  fade  away.  Pro¬ 
fessor  Gunning  had  the  utmost  confidence  in  the 
photographer.  In  his  case,  as  in  the  former  one,  these 
so-called  Spirit  Pictures  occasionally  came  and  the 
photographers  had  no  control  over  the  phenomena. 

His  deductions  from  these  experiments,  and  from 
the  evidence  produced  at  the  Mumler  trial  are : — 

First. — That  the  sensitive  plate  may  be  more  sensi¬ 
tive  to  light  than  the  human  eye. 

Second. — That  men  and  women — spirits,  but  not  in- 


SOME  AMERICAN  CASES 


143 


corporeal — can,  under  certain  conditions,  clothe  their 
persons  with  elements  of  sufficient  substance  to  retiect 
light. 

In  the  account  given  by  “M.  A.,  Oxon”  of  how  his 
“double”  was  photographed,  he  stated  that  he  was 
asleep,  in  London,  at  the  time  when  his  “spirit  ”  was 
photographed  in  Paris.  lie  was  a  medium  and  ac¬ 
customed  to  go  into  trances,  and  the  photograph  rep¬ 
resents  him  on  a  state  of  trance,  or  at  least  with  his 
eyes  closed.  In  the  following  account  the  tale  that  is 
told  is  more  prosaic. 

In  the  early  winter  months  of  1875,  Mr.  Evans,  a 
Spirit  Photographer,  was  taking  pictures  in  the 
studio  of  a  Mr.  A.  C.  Maxwell,  in  New  York  City.  A 
Mr.  Uemarest  called,  in  the  hope  of  getting  a  spirit 
picture.  The  proprietor,  Mr.  Maxwell,  was  sitting 
asleep  by  the  stove,  which  was  situated  some  ten  feet 
in  rear  of  where  the  camera  stood.  Mr.  Evans,  after 
making  the  usual  preparations,  posed  Mr.  Demarest 
and  “took  his  picture.”  When  the  plate  was  devel¬ 
oped,  there  was  on  it,  beside  the  figure  of  the  sitter 
an  “extra,”  not  of  a  departed,  but  of  the  face  and 
full  form  of  Mr.  Maxwell — the  man  dozing  by  the 
stove.  Air.  Demarest  was  not  only  annoyed,  but  very 
suspicious  when  he  saw  the  purported  spirit  beside 
him  It  was  in  his  opinion  none  other  “than  the  pic¬ 
ture  of  Mr.  Maxwell,  produced  by  some  hocus-pocus 
on  the  plate.”  The  latter  demurred  and  declared  that 
he  did  not  know,  and  could  not  tell,  how  his  profile, 
face  and  figure,  got  on  the  plate.  All  he  knew  was 


144  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


that  lie  had  been  dozing  at  the  stove  at  the  time  when 
Mr.  Demarest  was  taken.  Being  confused  and  sur¬ 
prised  at  the  charge,  Mr.  Maxwell  took  the  plate  and 
showed  it  to  liis  wife — whose  room  was  adjoining  the 
studio — and  asked  her  “Whose  likeness  is  that  beside 
Mr.  Demarest?”  She  said  “Why,  yours  to  be  sure.” 
Mr.  Maxwell  was  more  confused  than  ever  and  re¬ 
turning  the  plate  to  Mr.  Demarest  declared  that  he 
(Maxwell)  knew  nothing  about  it.  The  curiosity  was 
shown  to  Mr.  Fanshaw,  artist,  and  he  concluded  that 
it  was  a  repetition  in  New  York  of  the  phenomenon 
of  the  “Double,”  as  reported  in  the  attestations  of 
Count  de  Bullet,  as  having  taken  place  in  Paris. 

After  weighing  all  the  statements  which  are  given 
in  this  case,  and  which  I  do  not  propose  to  quote  at 
length  here,  it  is  clear — to  use  the  words  of  the  nar¬ 
rator — that  while  Mr.  Maxwell,  the  mortal,  was  doz¬ 
ing  at  the  stove,  his  dual  existence,  his  spirit,  was 
having  its  likeness  taken  with  that  of  Mr.  Demarest, 
on  the  photographic  plate.  If  we  substitute  “double” 
for  “spirit”  in  the  above,  I  think  the  statement  would 
be  more  accurate.  In  our  present  state  of  knowledge 
we  do  not  really  know  what  our  spirit  friends  in  dis- 
carnate  states  are  like,  but  we  do  know  that  in  all 
cases  “the  double”  is  as  like  the  man  in  the  flesh  as 
two  peas  are  like  one  another.  I  am  not  in  position  to 
vouch  for  the  accuracy  of  the  account  sent  from  New 
York,  July  8th,  1875,  to  Human  Nature,  but  I  can 
believe  the  incident  to  be  possible,  as  other  cases  pre- 
viously  stated,  indicate.  When  dealing  with  Mr.  Ed. 


SOME  AMERICAN  CASES 


145 


Wyllie,  medium  photographer,  I  gave  a  case  of  the 
photographing  of  “the  double"  of  a  little  girl  well- 
known  to  us,  for  which  there  is  no  explanation.  This 


Fig.  32.  Photograph  of  Mrs.  Flood,  and  the  Psychic  Pictures 
of  Friends,  done  by  Mr.  Evans. 

is  equally  true  whether  the  extra  be  that  of  one  in  the 
body  or  that  of  a  person  departed.  The  facts  are 
there.  The  why  and  how  does  not  meet  with  a  ready 
solution. 

I  am  indebted  to  Mrs.  Wilkinson,  of  Stretford,  near 
Manchester,  for  the  above  early  example  of  Mr. 


146  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


Evans’  work.  The  subject  of  the  photograph  is  her 
own  mother,  Mrs.  Flood,  who  accompanied  them  to 
the  United  States,  as  related  in  the  “Autobiography 
of  Emma  Hardinge  Britten,”  her  sister.  Mrs.  Flood 
is  seen  surrounded  by  several  “extras.”  Who  these 
are,  Mrs.  Wilkinson — now  a  very  old  lady — does  not 
remember,  except  one.  This  is  the  lowest  one  on  the 
left,  concerning  which  she  often  heard  her  mother  de¬ 
clare  that  it  was  the  spirit  picture  of  her  old  nurse. 
The  ease  is  given  not  so  much  as  evidence  but  as  an 
illustration  of  one  of  those  early  psychic  pictures.  In 
this  we  see  a  departure  from  the  fiat,  full  form  “ex¬ 
tras”  of  Mumler,  the  three-quarter  length  sheeted 
forms  of  Hudson,  the  scrolls  and  crudities  of  Reeves, 
etc.,  to  the  American  type  of  psychic  photograph 
which  obtains  to-day,  viz.,  a  face  or  groups  of  faces 
sufficient  for  identity,  the  whole  suggesting  that  the 
spirit  workers  in  the  Invisible  had,  as  the  result  of 
experimenting,  decided  on  a  policy  of  concentrated 
effort  to  produce  identifiable  pictures  and  at  the  same 
time  economising  energy  and  psychic  force. 

This  account  is  summarised  from  the  Cincinnati  En¬ 
quirers: 

“Mr.  Jay  J.  Hartman  has  been  producing  ‘spirit 
pictures’  at  Teeple’s  Gallery,  No.  100  West  Fourth 
Street.  He  has  been  bitterly  denounced  as  a  fraud 
and  trickster  by  the  skeptics  and  unbelievers.  Al¬ 
though  he  gave  private  ‘test  sittings’  that  seemed 
satisfactory,  yet  even  many  of  his  friends  began  to 
doubt  him  until  he,  last  week,  published  a  card  that 
on  Saturday  morning,  December  25th,  he'  would  give 


SOME  AMERICAN  CASES 


147 


a  free,  public  investigation  addressed  to  the  public 
generally,  and  to  the  photographers  especially ;  stat¬ 
ing  that  he  would  place  all  the  arrangements  in  the 
hands  of  those  taking  part  in  the  investigation ;  they 


Fig.  33.  An  Old  Woodcut  of  Dr.  Morrow,  and  Psychic  Picture 
of  Young  Lady,  taken  under  Test  Conditions  by  Mr.  Jay 
J.  Hartman,  in  Cutter’s  Studio,  in  Cincinnati,  in  March, 
1876. 


to  choose  the  room  where  the  trial  was  to  be  held ; 
bring  their  own  marked  plates ;  furnish  their  own 
camera,  chemicals,  in  fact  everything — Hartman 
simply  asking  to  manipulate  the  plates  in  the  presence 
of  practical  photographers,  to  show  that  he  used  no 
fraud  or  trickery.  Christmas  morning  came,  bright 


148  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


and  cheerful,  and  found  sixteen  gentlemen,  five  of 
them  practical  photographers  of  this  city,  assembled 
at  his  rooms.  Putting  the  question  to  vote,  it  was  de¬ 
cided  to  adjourn  to  the  photograph  gallery  of  Mr. 
V.  Cutter,  No.  28  West  Fourth  Street.  Mr.  Cutter 
being  an  expert  in  detecting  the  ‘spirit-picture  trick¬ 
ery,’  and,  as  Mr.  Hartman  had  never  been  in  his 
gallery,  he  would  be  at  the  double  disadvantage  of 
being  in  a  strange  room,  surrounded  by  skeptics  and 
practical  men  quick  to  detect  fraud.” 

I  do  not  propose  to  detail  the  nature  of  eacn  experi¬ 
ment  ;  of  these  there  were  several,  and  all  failures  ex¬ 
cept  the  last,  when  to  the  surprise  of  the  skeptics  and 
the  joy  of  the  medium’s  friends,  ‘‘There  was  a  pic¬ 
ture  !  ’  ’  The  report  states  : — 

“Hartman  had  never  touched  the  plates  or  entered 
the  dark  chamber  during  the  manipulation!  How  it 
got  there  he  didn’t  know ;  there  it  was!  While  Messrs. 
Cutter,  Murhman  et  at,  do  not  admit  the  “spiritual” 
origin  of  the  form  on  the  plate,  yet  they  all  agree 
that  Mr.  Hartman  did  not  and  could  not,  under  the 
circumstances  of  never  touching  the  plate  or  enter¬ 
ing  the  dark-room,  produce  the  ‘spirit-picture’  by 
fraud  or  trickery.  There  is  the  face  of  Dr.  Morrow, 
with  the  face  of  a  young  lady,  with  something  re¬ 
sembling  a  wreath  arching  over  their  heads !  Whence 
came  it?  If  it  is  not  what  it  purports  to  be,  a  ‘spirit 
form,’  what  is  it?  And  how  came  it  there?  All 
finally  agreed  to  sign  the  following  certificate : 

‘We,  the  undersigned,  having  taken  part  in  the 
public  investigation  of  ‘Spirit  Photography’  given 
by  Mr.  Jay  J.  Hartman,  hereby  certify  that  we  have 
closely  examined  and  watched  the  manipulations  of 
our  own  marked  plates,  through  all  the  various  work¬ 
ings,  in  and  out  of  the  dark-room,  and  have  been  un¬ 
able  to  discover  any  sign  of  fraud  or  trickery  on  the 


SOME  AMERICAN  CASES 


149 


Fig.  34.  Test  Photograph  obtained  by  Mr.  A.  K.  \  enning,  who 
not  only  took  every  precaution  as  to  camera,  plate,  holder, 
lens,  &c.,  but  at  the  last  moment  placed  his  hat  in  posi¬ 
tion  shown.  The  Lady  sitting  with  him  is  now  passed 
over.  The  “extra”  above  her — which  is  identified,  is  the 
portrait  of  a  late  member  of  the  British  House  of  Com¬ 
mons,  and  related  to  a  distinguished  family,  the  mem¬ 
bers  of  which  made  their  name  in  India.  (Name  can  be 
had  if  desired  on  application  to  the  writer.) 


150  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


part  of  Mr.  Jay  J.  Hartman.  And  vve  further  certify 
that  during  the  last  sitting,  when  the  result  was  ob¬ 
tained.  Mr.  Jay  J.  Hartman  did  not  handle  the  plate 
nor  enter  the  dark-room  at  any  time. 

J.  Slatter,  C.  II.  Murhman,  V.  Cutter,  J.  P.  Week- 
man,  F.  T.  Moreland,  T.  Temple,  all  practical  photog¬ 
raphers;  E.  Saunders,  Wm.  Warrington,  Joseph  Kin¬ 
sey,  Benjamin  E.  Hopkins,  G.  A.  Carnshan,  Wm. 
Sullivan,  James  P.  Geppert,  D.  V.  Morrow,  M.  D., 
E.  Hopkins,  Robert  Leslie.’ 


Dr.  B.  F.  Austin,  B.  A.,  editor  of  “Reason,”  and 
director  of  the  Austin  Publishing  Co.,  Rochester.  New 
York,  U.  S.  A.,  writing  me  recently  says : — 

“Spirit  Photography  once  proved,  the  continuity 
of  life  is  demonstrated,  and  with  spirit  communica¬ 
tion  in  its  various  forms  is  rendered  so  inherently 
probable  that  we  may  regard  the  case  for  Spiritual¬ 
ism  as  proven. 

Let  us  grant  at  once  that  there  are  many  ways  of 
producing  ‘faked  spirit  photographs.’  Dr.  William 
Lockwood,  an  authority  on  photography,  and  for 
years  lecturer  to  the  American  Association  of  Photog¬ 
raphers,  an  able  author,  physicist  and  philosophical 
teacher,  while  pointing  out  many  ways  in  which  the 
‘fake’  photographs  can  be  produced,  is  a  strong  wit¬ 
ness  to  the  fact  of  genuine  spirit  photography. 

Some  years  ago  I  had,  from  bis  own  lips,  the  story 
of  the  conversion  +o  Spiritualism  of  Mr.  Ruthven 
Macdonald,  of  Toronto,  Canada,  a  famous  baritone 
soloist,  who,  while  a  Methodist,  accepted  an  engage¬ 
ment  to  sing  at  the  Lily  Dale  Assembly  of  Spiritual¬ 
ists.  While  there, — believing,  as  he  had  been  taught, 
that  all  mediumship  was  essentially  fraudulent — he 
thought  he  would  visit  a  few  mediums  as  pastime, 
and  among  others,  selected  a  spirit  photographer, 
who  was  of  course  a  complete  stranger  to  him.  When 


SOME  AMERICAN  CASES 


151 


the  first  photograph  was  developed,  the  photographer 
asked  him  to  sit  again,  as  the  picture  was  unsatis¬ 
factory.  Mr.  Macdonald  asked  to  be  shown  the  nega¬ 
tive,  but  the  photographer  demurred  and  wished  to 
destroy  it.  Mr.  Macdonald  insisted,  and  on  seeing  it 
beheld  to  his  amazement  the  form  of  his  spirit  mother 
standing  behind  him  in  the  picture  and  holding  up 
a  hand  with  two  clearly  recognisable  thumbs.  This 
struck  the  photographer  as  ‘uncanny.’  Mr.  Mac¬ 
donald,  however,  on  seeing  it  exclaimed  ‘Destroy  that! 
Why,  that  is  my  mother!  She  had  two  thumbs  on  one 
hand !  ’ 

Mr.  Macdonald  got  many  remarkably  clear  photo¬ 
graphs  of  spirit  friends.  1  saw  the  photograph  of  his 
mother.  The  face  and  form  were  clearly  defined  and 
the  hand  with  two  thumbs  made  an  impression  on 
me — as  Mr.  Macdonald  told  the  story — which  I  shall 
never  forget.  Mr.  Macdonald  received  in  this  way, 
and  through  other  forms  of  mediumship,  so  much 
overwhelming  evidence  that  he  became  a  convert  to 
Spiritualism  and  an  ardent  advocate  of  its  teachings.” 

I  am  obliged  to  Dr.  Austin  for  calling  my  attention 
to  the  case  of  Judge  Levi  Mock.  He  says: — You  can 
depend  thoroughly  on  the  accuracy  of  the  statements 
made.  I  know  the  Judge  well.  He  was  president  of 
the  Chesterfield  Camp  at  one  time.  You  can  safely 
quote  him. 

Leaving  out  all  references  to  the  Judge’s  eminent 
position,  and  his  well  qualified  training  for  the 
weighing  of  evidence,  and  his  family  and  State  con¬ 
nections,  which  appeared  in  Reason,  Oct.,  1908,  I 
summarise  his  important  testimony  in  favour  of  spirit 
photography : — 


“Four  years  ago  (1904)  Frank  Foster,  of  Grand 


152  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


Rapids,  Mich.,  was  at  Chesterfield  Camp  meeting, 
posing  as  a  spirit  photographer,  charging  two  dollars 
for  producing  the  pictures.  I  first  sat  for  my  pic¬ 
ture,  and  then  went  to  the  camera  and  he  placed  his 
fingers  on  the  same  and  I  placed  my  fingers  on  his 
hand.  He  was  in  a  quiver  till  a  shock  came,  and  he 
said  ‘That  is  sufficient.’  Within  a  few  days  he  gave 
me  the  developed  pictures.  I  recognised  none  of  them. 
I  went  to  Mrs.  Herbine’s  cottage,  taking  the  pictures 
along.  None  of  the  persons  whose  pictures  I  had 
were  related  to  me. 

While  Mrs.  ITerbine  is  a  slate-writer,  in  her  sit¬ 
tings  independent  voices  converse  with  the  sitter ;  and 
on  that  occasion  my  father,  who  had  been  in  the 
Summer-land  several  years,  told  me  to  go  back  and 
have  another  picture  and  that  I  should  get  pictures 
that  I  should  recognise.  Believing  him,  I  went  to 
Foster  and  had  another  picture.  I  at  once  recognised 
four  of  the  spirit  pictures.  I  immediately  wrote  out 
five  questions  asking  the  names  of  the  persons  repre¬ 
sented,  locating  each  in  the  group,  and  went  to  Mrs. 
Herbine’s  cottage.  We  sat  down  to  a  small  stand. 
1  took  a  double  slate  and  placed  it  under  my  foot, 
and  reached  in  my  pocket  and  got  one  of  the  ques¬ 
tions  and  placed  it  under  one  of  my  hands  on  the 
stand ;  I  not  knowing  what  question  I  had  and  she 
not  having  seen  any  of  the  questions  or  pictures. 
The  first  question  I  drew  out  of  my  pocket  was  as 
follows:  Dr.  Coulter  (the  medium’s  control)  What 
is  the  name  of  this  dog  on  the  picture  in  my  pocket? 
His  answer  was  thus :  ‘  Blood.  ’ 

I  recognised  the  picture  of  ‘Blood’  as  my  favourite 
foxhound  (who  is  in  dog  heaven,  or  some  other  place) 
and  called  him  ‘Blood’  because  he  would  never  cease 
running  till  he  caught  the  fox. 

I  took  out  the  questions  one  by  one,  and  the.  pic¬ 
tures  as  I  knew,  were  named.  The  picture  first  above 
the  dog  is  my  Aunt  Polly  Reitnour;  just  over  my 
head  my  sister  Rachael ;  the  one  above  to  the  left. 


SOME  AMERICAN  CASES 


153 

Colby  Luther  (our  famous  lecturer),  and  that  to  the 
left  is  named  Williams — Dr.  Coulter  said  that  he  was 
not  related  to  me,  and  I  do  not  recognise  him.  When 
l  came  home  many  of  my  neighbours  recognised 
‘Blood’  and  my  sister. 

What  I  have  stated  is  literally  true.  I  have  no  rea¬ 
son  to  state  an  untruth. 

Bluffton,  Indiana.  Levi  Mock.” 

I  very  much  regret  that  the  American  reproduction 
of  the  photograph  does  not  come  out  very  clearly. 
We  see  in  the  Judge’s  statement  that  not  only  was  be 
advised  to  go  back  and  get  another  sitting,  when  be 
would  get  pictures  which  he  would  recognize,  but 
other  processes  in  evidence  showing  Intelligence  in  the 
Invisible  somewhere  operating  and  demonstrated  in 
the  results  obtained  through  different  mediums  and 
by  differing  processes;  the  psychics  being  strangers 
to  the  Judge. 

From  the  foregoing  statement  of  the  Judge  it  will 
lie  noted  that  Mr.  Frank  Foster’s  methods  differ  from 
those  of  most  mediums.  In  this  case  the  operator 
takes  the  sitter’s  portrait  in  the  ordinary  way  and 
then  uses  the  camera  itself  as  a  dark  chamber,  and 
obtains  the  “extras”  on  the  plate  at  the  time  when 
the  shock  is  experienced  by  both  sitter  and  medium. 
For  this  we  find  an  explanation  in  psychography. 

From  reliable  information  I  learn  that  Mr.  Frank 
Foster,  of  Grand  Rapids,  Michigan,  is  the  oldest 
medium  photographer  now  living.  lie  has  been  tak¬ 
ing  “spirit  pictures”  for  nearly  forty  years,  in  dif¬ 
ferent  parts  of  the  States,  and  is  still  at  work  obtain- 


154  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


ing  thousands  of'  “extras”  and  his  identifiable  pic¬ 
tures  are  the  best  testimony  as  to  the  genuineness  of 
his  mediumship.  The  method  usually  adopted  by  this 
medium  and  his  son,  Mr.  Bennie  Foster,  is  to  make 
one  exposure  on  sitter  in  the  light,  and  then  darken 
the  room  and  make  another  exposure  to  get  the  psy¬ 
chic  “extras”  on  the  plate.  I  presume  that  in  taking 
photographs  at  a  Camp  meeting  where  his  operating 
room  would  be  a  tent,  darkening  would  be  impossible, 
lienee  the  method  described  by  Judge  Mock. 

Mrs.  Jane  M.  Samson,  of  Pasadena,  (at  one  time 
lived  in  Boston,  and  was,  with  her  husband,  a  member 
of  the  Rev.  Minot  J.  Savage’s  congregation  there) 
had  a  sitting  with  Mr.  Wyllie.  Of  this  lady  Dr.  PI. 
A.  Reid  (in  “Case  Eight”  reported  in  “Unseen  Faces 
Photographed  ’  ’)  says : — 

“She  is  an  intelligent  and  reputable  lady  and  at¬ 
tended  sittings  for  psychical  research  at  which  Prof. 
James,  Rev.  Minot  Savage,  Rev.  A.  A.  Miner,  D.  D., 
and  others  were  critical  investigators.  In  April, 
1900,  she  sat  to  Mr.  AVyllie  in  Los  Angeles.  He  knew 
nothing  of  her  former  residence,  relationship  or  ex¬ 
periences,  and  this  plate  was  produced.” 

I  do  not  reproduce  it  here,  but  mention  that  the 
“extras”  thereon  in  addition  to  herself,  were  the 
faces  of  her  deceased  husband  who  died  in  Boston, 
the  wife  of  a  brother  of  the  sitter  and  the  face  of  her 
husband’s  father.  Now,  Mrs.  Samson  has  a  brother, 
a  practical  photographer,  Mr.  C.  B.  Scott,  carrying  on 
business  at  340  Fulton  Street,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.  She 


SOME  AMERICAN  CASES 


155 


wrote  him  about  this  photograph.  He  recognised  the 
faces  on  it,  and  I  give  his  reply  (dated  May  6th, 
1900)  as  throwing  a  light,  and  a  favourable  one,  on 
the  procedure  of  Mr.  Frank  Foster. 

•  “We  have  considerable  to  do  with  spirit  photo¬ 
graphs.  Mr.  Foster,  a  spirit  photographer,  and  me¬ 
dium,  has  been  bringing  and  sending  photographs  to 
us  to  be  enarnmelled.  He  has  no  studio,  but  goes 
from  one  place  to  another  and  he  sends  us  work  from 
different  cities.  All  his  have  from  two  to  five  spirit 
faces,  and  we  have  always  been  watching,  as  he  sent 
prints  from  different  cities,  to  see  if  we  could  detect 
the  same  faces,  but  we  have  never  been  able  to  do  so. 
When  he  sends  them  from  Philadelphia  they  are  cov¬ 
ered  with  Indian  and  Quaker  faces.  I  don’t  think 
the  spirits  have  much  to  do  with  the  matter,  but 
there  is  something  about  it  that  is  hard  to  detect.” 

This  is  another  out  of  several  instances  where  a 
practical  photographer  does  not  believe  in  the  spirit 
theory  put  forward  for  these  psychic  pictures;  know¬ 
ing  not  of  any  method  of  “faking”  by  which  they 
can  be  produced,  but  admitting  that  they  come,  and 
that  there  is  something  about  spirit  photography  hard 
to  detect. 


THE  PHOTOGRAPH  OP  A  CHINAMAN 

I  relate  as  nearly  as  possible  the  story  of  the  Fig. 
35  as  given  me  by  Mr.  Wyllie  one  evening  in  Nov., 
1909.  I  have  been  fortunate  enough  to  receive  the 
original  photograph,  and  have  the  story  confirmed 
by  my  esteemed  correspondent,  Mr.  A.  K.  Venning, 
of  613  South  Flower  Street,  Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  U.  S. 


156  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


A.  Mr.  Wyllie’s  account  is  accepted  for  the  simple 
reason  that  he  gave  evidence,  when  in  our  house,  of 


Fig.  35.  The  Photograph  of  a  Chinaman,  with  “Extras,”  which 
was  taken  by  Mr.  Wyllie,  as  requested  by  sonic  members 
of  the  Pasadena  Psychical  Research  Society,  of  which  Dr. 
H.  A.  Reid  was  the  President. 

being  a  genuine  medium  for  this  phase  of  phenomena, 
lie  said : — 


SOME  AMERICAN  CASES 


157 


“I  had  been  giving  tests  to  some  gentlemen  in  Los 
Angeles  in  connection  with  the  Psychic  Research  So¬ 
ciety.  Some  were  convinced  of  the  fact  of  psychic 
photography  and  others  were  not.  It  was  suggested 
by  one  member  it  would  be  a  good  thing  if  I  could 
obtain  ‘extras’  on  the  plate  of  someone  wholly  ignor¬ 
ant  of  both  the  subject  and  of  Spiritualism.  Then  it 
could  not  be  said  that  their  knowledge  or  attitude 
had  anything  to  do  with  the  results.  It  was  not  easy 
to  get  someone  with  the  qualifications  desired.  When 
one  day  ‘Charlie,’  a  Chinese  laundry  man,  called  for 
my  clothes,  it  struck  me  to  ask  him — ‘Charlie,  like  to 
have  your  picture  taken?’  ‘No,’  he  replied.  ‘No 
likee  that.’  He  knew  that  I  was  a  photographer,  but 
had  a  dislike,  I  think,  to  photography,  as  most  Chinese 
have.  I  tried  to  persuade  him,  after  he  had  called 
two  or  three  times.  1  showed  him  that  there  could 
be  no  harm  in  it,  and  I  would  take  a  ‘glass,’  (as 
negatives  are  called)  for  nothing,  and  print  him 
some  nice  pictures  of  himself.  Charlie  wanted  to 
go  home  and  change  his  clothes,  hut  I  knew  it  would 
not  do  to  let  him  slip,  and  got  him  to  sit.  lie  was 
very  much  scared.  I  made  his  mind  easy  and  asked 
him  to  come  in  a  few  days,  and  I  would  give  him  the 
pictures.  When  I  developed  the  negative  there  were 
two  ‘extras’  on  it — a  Chinese  hoy  and  some  Chinese 
writing.  When  Charlie  came  round  I  showed  him 
the  print,  and  he  said — ‘That  my  boy,  where  you 
catchee  him?’  I  asked  him  if  it  was  not  one  of  his 
cousins  in  the  city.  He  said — ‘No,  that  my  hoy.  He 
not  here;  where  you  catchee  him?’  I  asked  him 
where  his  boy  was,  and  he  said — ‘That  my  boy.  He’s 
in  China.  Not  seen  him  for  three  years.’ 

Charlie  would  not  believe  that  I  had  not  by  some 
magic  got  his  ‘boy  here.’  Charlie  then  brought  other 
Chinamen — friends  of  his  own — to  see  the  picture, 
and  they  all  recognised  the  youngster.  Charlie  did 
not  know  that  his  son  was  dead.  As  far  as  he  knew, 
lie  was  alive  and  well.” 


158  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


As  to  the  Chinese  writing,  Mr.  Venning  informs 
me  that  it  has  been  shown  to  several  Chinamen,  and 
each  one  has  refused  to  give  a  translation.  Charlie’s 
explanation  is  a  curious  one.  He  said  the  meaning 
of  the  letters  was  ‘  ‘  A  fall ;  a  crooked  path ;  and  a 
big  house.” 

It  appears  that  he  left  China  in  trouble,  that  was 
the  fall ;  he  had  lived  a  bad  life,  that  was  the  crooked 
way;  he  was  now  “a  Christian  man,”  and  he  had  no 
doubt  that  the  big  house  meant  that  he  would  be 
prosperous  yet,  and  return  to  his  father’s  big  house, 
at  home.  Such  is  the  story  as  told  by  Mr.  Wyllie.  I 
do  not  know  whether  the  “extras”  were  correctly 
read  or  not,  symbolical  or  not,  but  as  for  Charlie,  he 
appeared  to  be  in  the  crooked  way  still,  as  he  fell  into 
the  hands  of  the  police  and  had  to  leave  the  city. 

On  the  next  page  (Fig.  36)  I  produce  the  photo¬ 
graph  of  a  negress  as  it  furnishes  a  suggestive  answer 
to  the  question  “Are  spirit  photographs  the  photo¬ 
graphs  of  spirits?” 

Judge  Edmond  says: — Spiritualists  reason  that 
these  photographs  are  the  actual  pictures  of  dis¬ 
embodied  spirits,  but  they  do  not  know.  I  am  not 
prepared  to  express  a  definite  opinion. 

The  above  is  an  extract  from  the  evidence  given 
by  the  learned  Judge  at  the  'trial  of  Mumler.  The 
Judge  knew  of  a  certainty  that  these  psychic  “ex¬ 
tras”  were  genuinely  obtained  and  gave  evidence  to 
that  effect,  but  he  reserved  his  judgment  when  it  came 


SOME  AMERICAN  CASES 


159 


to  claiming  that  photographs  were  those  of  disem¬ 
bodied  spirits. 


Fig.  36.  Photograph  of  Negress,  anil  a  number  of  Spirit  Pic 
tures  of  Friends.  This  is  a  Wyllie  photograph,  which 
Mr.  A.  K.  Venning  of  San  Francisco,  sen!  me. 

Mr.  A.  K.  Venning,  who  possesses  a  life  experience 
of  spirit  photographs,  in  his  letter  to  me,  dated  10th 
Dec.,  1909,  says: — 


160  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


These  portraits  are  probably  taken  not  from  the 
individual  spirit,  but  from  a  thought-form-picture, 
or  something  of  that  sort. 

This  may  be  as  difficult  to  grasp  as  the  fact  of 
spirit  photography.  The  evidence  is  favour  of  what 
are  called  “Thought-forms”  is  too  strong  to  be  lightly 
cast  aside. 

Dr.  Alfred  Russel  W allace  is  of  opinion  that 
the  photographs  are  those  of  “forms”  made  up  and 
presented  to  the  camera,  and  not  the  photographs  of 
actual  spirits. 

Mr.  Blackwell,  whose  belief  in  spirit  photography 
is  undoubted,  is  convinced,  however,  that  the  photo¬ 
graphs  are  those  of  spirits.  He  fell  foul  of  me  for  em¬ 
ploying  the  term  “psychic  extras,”  for  spirit  photo¬ 
graphs.  Yet  this  experienced  investigator,  in  that  let¬ 
ter,  makes  the  admission : — - 

“Some  spirit  people  seem  to  find  it  very  difficult 
to  remember  how  they  looked  in  earth  life,  and  re¬ 
fresh  their  memory  by  referring  to  a  photograph  or 
portrait.  This  they  sometimes  transfer  so  exactly 
that  undeserved  suspicion  is  cast  upon  the  unfortu¬ 
nate  medium. 

Further,  I  have  had  the  privilege  of  photographing 
some  partially  materialised  spirits  in  my  own 
house.  They  were  perfectly  clear  and  visible  to  my 
visitors  and  myself.  Yet,  two  of  these  forms  are  ex¬ 
actly  like  their  last  earthly  photographs  except  that 
they  are  now  surrounded  with  spirit  drapery. —  (The 
italics  are  Mr.  Blackwell’s  own.)  They  (the  spirits) 
have  exerted  their  will  power  to  build  up  a  new  form 
and  have  appeared  in  quite  a  different  pose.” 

The  deduction  to  my  mind  is  that  these  are  photo- 


SOME  AMERICAN  CASES 


161 


graphs  of  something  equivalent  to  the  thought-forms 
or  the  double  of  the  living,  or  some  material  form — 


Fig.  37.  Photograph  of  a  (Gold-hearing)  district  in  California, 
referred  to  in  Mr.  Geo.  Gartling’s  letter.  I  am  not  at  lib¬ 
erty  to  give  identifiable  particulars.  It  is  a  Psychic  Pic¬ 
ture  not  of  a  Spirit,  but  of  a  Terrestrial  Scene,  to  which 
are  added  Symbols  having  a  meaning  only  to  the  recipient. 
I  am  indebted  to  Mr.  A.  K.  Venning  for  the  photograph, 
and  to  Mr.  Gartling  for  his  emphatic  testimony  to  the 
Fact  of  Psychic  Photography. 


162  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


albeit  invisible — representing  what  the  originals  were 
like  in  earth  life. 


“California  Well  Tool  and  Machine  Works,  114- 
116  College  Street,  Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  Oct.  17,  1910. 
James  Coates,  Esq., 

Glenbeg  House, 

Ardbeg, 

Rothesay,  Scotland. 

Dear  Sir: 

I  have  received  both  your  letters,  of  July  and  Sep¬ 
tember  respectively.  Yes!  I  am  well  acquainted  with 
Mr.  Wyllie  and  his  work,  and  can  vouch  for  his 
honesty  in  his  mediumship.  Whatever  one  gets 
through  Mr.  Wyllie ’s  photography  is  genuine.  I  very 
much  doubt  that  there  is  another  person  living  who 
has  tested  his  genuineness  as  thoroughly  as  I  have, 
and  besides  being  a  pure  medium,  Mr.  Wyllie  is  also 
well  worthy  the  name  gentleman.  He  has  my  best 
wishes  wherever  he  may  be.  I  have  got  quite  a  good 
many  messages  and  pictures  through  Mr.  Wyllie ’s 
photography;  but  none  that  I  would  want  to  go  into 
public  print  at  this  time.  The  most  important  are 
written  messages  which  no  one  except  myself — not 
even  Mr.  Wyllie — knows  what  they  read  like.  These 
messages  are  an  explanation  of  a  principle  which  I 
am  to  work  out  and  not  to  divulge  at  this  time.  I  have 
a  few  photographs  which  Mr.  WTyllie  has  made  that 
are  good  enough  to  convince  anyone  who  is  not  en¬ 
tirely  obstinate,  but  conviction  could  not  be  brought 
about  through  publication.  Anyone  wishing  to  get 
proof  of  this  would  have  to  come  here  and  then  I 
would  have  to  take  the  party  about  400  miles  distance 
from  here  to  effect  the  proof.  I  have  gone  there  my¬ 
self  to  test  it,  and  I  found  it  just  exactly  as  it  is  de¬ 
scribed  in  the  photograph,  but  it  cost  me  fifty  dollars 
to  prove  to  myself  that  the  photograph  is  correct. 
Then,  I  have  also  some  faces  of  departed  ones  who 


SOME  AMERICAN  CASES 


163 


have  come  on  my  photographs,  whom  I  recognise, 
but  such  would  be  no  conviction  to  others.  But  my 
real  experience  has  proven  to  me  that  anyone  who  is 
sincere  in  wanting  to  know  as  to  the  truth  of  spirit  phe¬ 
nomena  will  certainly  be  given  that  knowledge  just  as 
soon  as  ready  for  it,  and  as  much  of  it  as  one  is  capa¬ 
ble  of  absorbing. 

I  am,  Yours  very  truly, 

George  Gartling.  ” 

The  Gartlings,  of  Los  Angeles,  California,  are 
known  and  respected  as  shrewd,  level-headed  men  of 
business,  the  heads  of  a  large  concern  there,  and  Mr. 
George  Gartling  has  everything  to  lose  and  nothing 
to  gain  by  giving  his  testimony  to  the  fact  of  spirit 
photography. 


CHAPTER  VIII 


SOME  AMERICAN  CASES:  CONTINUED 

I  am  indebted  to  the  Rev.  Charles  Hall  Cook,  D.  B., 
A.  M.,  Ph.  D.  (Diocese  of  Colorado,  U  S.  A.),  1845 
Grant  street,  Denver,  Col.,  for  notes  from  his  investi¬ 
gations.  These  were  made  in  his  capacity  of  Member 
and  Representative  of  the  American  Society  for  Psy¬ 
chical  Research.  In  these  reports  he  deals  not  only 
with  his  experiences  in  psychic  photography,  but  in 
other  phases  of  psycho-physics,  such  as  apports,  ma¬ 
terialisations,  psychography,  direct  writing,  &c.  I, 
however,  only  quote  a  few  notes  on  psychic  photog¬ 
raphy,  giving  prominence  to  the  Flora  Loudon  case, 
wherein  the  testimony  of  Dr.  Cook  gets  unanticipated 
corroboration.  The  whole  affords  evidence  of  the 
operation  of  Intelligences  outwith  that  of  the  medium, 
Wyllie  and  the  doctor,  as  well  as  the  doctor’s  scien¬ 
tific  procedure  to  get  at  the  Facts. 

Photographs  have  been  obtained  through  Wyllie, 
Martin  and  a  boy  named  Charles  Bartel,  16  years  of 
age,  who  only  used  a  Kodak.  The  reports  were  made 
on  psychic  photography,  and  sent  to  the  A.  S.  P.  R., 
but  have  not  been  published.  The  late  Dr.  Hodgson 
had  then  such  a  mental  bias  against  psycho-physical 

164 


SOME  AMERICAN  CASES 


165 


phenomena  that  the  facts  recorded  did  not  appear  in 
the  Journal.  Not  only  so,  but  no  steps  were  taken 


Fig.  38.  Photograph  of  Mr.  Ed.  Wyllie,  Medium- Photo¬ 
grapher,  and  the  Psychic  Portrait  of  his  Mother,  identified. 
The  enlargement  which  Mr.  Wyllie  had  of  this  was  lost 
with  all  his  belongings  in  the  great  San  Francisco  earth¬ 
quake.  The  above  reached  me  from  an  esteemed  corres¬ 
pondent  in  the  States.  Air.  Wyllie  was  unaware  there 
was  a  copy  in  existence. 


166  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


to  officially  investigate  the  truth  of  the  statements 
made. 

There  is  nothing  new  in  this;  similar  treatment  was 
measured  out  to  Dr.  IT.  A.  Reid  by  the  Secretary  of 
the  S.  P.  R.,  London.  The  doctor  furnished  careful 
reports,  with  evidence  corroborating  his  mode  of  pro¬ 
cedure  and  the  psychic  results  obtained  with  Wyllie. 
But  beyond  a  few  quibbles,  and  a  courteous  acknowl¬ 
edgement  by  the  secretary  of  the  reports,  nothing  was 
done. 

Dr.  Cook  freely  gave  of  his  valuable  time  and  of  his 
means  in  traveling  and  investigation.  To  all  Dr. 
Cook’s  conditions  as  member  and  representative  of 
the  A.  S.  P.  R.,  Mr.  Wyllie  readily  consented  to  sub¬ 
mit.  Notwithstanding  the  careful  procedure  adopted 
and  the  evidences  submitted,  the  A.  S.  P.  R.  acknowl¬ 
edged,  but  suppressed  the  reports. 

From  Dr.  Cook’s  unpublished  reports,  I  sununanse 
a  few  cases,  with  photographs. 

“In  the  summer  of  1901  I  conducted  a  series  of 
twelve  experiments  in  Psychic  Photography  with  Mr. 
Edward  Wyllie,  507-13  South  Spring  Street,  Los 
Angeles,  Cal.,  U.  S.  A.  Mr.  Wyllie  granted  me  the 
use  of  his  gallery,  dark-room,  camera,  and  all  acces¬ 
sories,  and  unhesitatingly  complied  with  all  condi¬ 
tions  I  prescribed — all  this  gratis  on  the  part  of  Mr. 
Wyllie.  The  photographic  4x5  plates  I  myself 
provided,  being  a  box  purchased  from  a  regular 
dealer  for  the  trade.  This  box  of  plates  was  always 
kept  either  in  my  coat  pocket  or  inaccessible  except 
to  myself.  The  developing  work  was  done  at  differ¬ 
ent  galleries,  except  in  three  instances,  when  Mr. 
Wyllie  assisted  by  my  request,  but  efficient  precau- 


SOME  AMERICAN  CASES 


167 


tion  was  taken  to  prevent  the  possibility  of  exchang¬ 
ing  plates. 

Before  every  trial,  1  made  a  thorough  examination 
of  Air.  Wyllie’s  camera,  lens,  plateholder,  background 
and  all  accessories.  I  made  no  arrangement  or  engage¬ 
ment  with  Air.  Wyllie  at  any  time  for  a  succeeding 
experiment ;  in  fact  I  did  not  know  whether  I  should 
make  another. 

Nine  of  the  twelve  experiments  were  successful, 
i.  e.,  invisible  faces,  forms  and  other  phenomenal 
effects,  appeared  upon  the  plates  besides  the  sitter. 
(The  prints  referred  to  were  sent  me  for  inspection. 
— J.  C.) 

Experiments  1  and  2. 

In  the  first  two  successful  experiments,  June  25 
and  26,  Mr.  J.  II.  Disler,  a  capable  investigator  and 
experienced  photographer,  assisted  me.  Mr.  Disler 
and  I  made  a  most  critical  and  thorough  examination 
of  Mr.  Wyllie’s  camera,  lens,  plateholder,  background 
and  all  accessories.  Mr.  Wyllie  at  no  time  came  in 
contact  with  them,  but  stood  at  one  side  as  a  specta¬ 
tor,  in  the  custody  of  special  witnesses.  On  one  plate 
there  was  the  appearance  of  a  ‘bright  spot,’  or  ‘spot 
of  light’  resembling  a  cube-shaped  diamond,  near  the 
elbow  of  my  right  arm,  emitting  rays  of  light  in 
lateral  directions.  On  the  other  plate  there  was  a 
phantasmal  face,  blurred  and  splotched  on  the  upper 
portion  of  my  vest,  with  the  forehead  partly  hidden 
under  my  collar. 


Experiment  3. 

In  the  third  experiment,  June  27,  Mr.  Wyllie  acted 
as  photographer,  on  my  request,  and  did  only  what 
I  asked  him  to  do.  While  the  conditions  of  this  ex¬ 
periment  were,  by  reason  of  my  most  careful  observa¬ 
tion  and  direct  knowledge  of  them,  as  satisfactory — 
even  more  so — as  those  of  the  preceding  ones,  yet  the 


168  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


result  of  the  experiment,  and  the  developments  of  evi¬ 
dential  facts  that  followed  later  on  have  proved  it  to 


Fig.  39.  Photograph  of  Dr.  Cook  and  Psychic  Portrait  of 
Flora  Loudon,  with  Symbols. 


be  superior  to  all  other  experiments  that  T  have  made. 

After  Mr.  Wyllie  made  an  exposure  upon  me,  we 
retired  to  the  dark-room  and  I  watched  the  develop¬ 
ing-  process,  and  saw  coming  out  on  the  plate  an  ob- 


SOME  AMERICAN  CASES 


169 


ject  or  face  before  the  face  of  the  sitter  became  vis¬ 
ible.  It  became  more  clearly  defined  as  the  developing 
process  was  nearing  completion. 

Returning  to  the  gallery  room,  as  Air.  Wyllie  held 
the  negative  up  before  the  window,  I  saw  on  it  a 
face  that  was  very  distinct,  even  more  so  than  my 
own.  Comparing  it  with  that  of  the  preceding  ex¬ 
periment,  we  saw  that  it  was  the  same  face  that  had 
appeared  upon  the  plate  the  day  before.  It  covered 
my  left  shoulder,  extended  upon  my  breast  and  was 
larger  and  much  more  distinct  than  the  first  attempt, 
with  additional  accompaniments,  flowing  and  wavy 
hair,  encircled  with  a  halo  or  luminous  radiance,  star- 
shaped  flower  or  lily  in  the  hair,  just  above  the  fore¬ 
head,  and  symbolic  representations  of  a  cross  and 
heart  below  the  face. 

Recognition. 

Aside  from  the  conditions  under  which  these  ex¬ 
periments  1,  2  and  3  were  made,  I  quote  from  my 
original  notes,  which  were  written  out  in  full  on  the 
third  day  after  the  experiment,  i.  e.,  June  30,  1900, 
and  attested  under  the  seal  of  legal  authority.  This 
affidavit  was  also  inserted  in  an  extended  report,  on 
Psychic  Photography,  afterwards  made  to  the  Society 
for  Psychical  Research.  It  is  as  follows: 

‘This  face  I  recognised  as  that  of  the  young  lady 
or  girl  whom  I  first  met  in  the  month  of  September 
of  the  year  1866,  as  a  student  of  Antioch  College  at 
Yellow  Springs,  Ohio.  We  were  classmates  at  that 
institution  and  passed  two  years  of  student  life  to¬ 
gether.  Her  home  was  at  Higginsport,  on  the  banks 
of  the  Ohio,  twenty  miles  above  my  old  home.  She 
passed  into  the  other  life  about  four  years  after  the 
short  period  of  our  student  life  together,  that  is,  in 
1873.  The  name  is  Flora  Loudon.’ 

‘State  of  California, 

County  of  Los  Angeles. 

William  Loudon,  being  first  duly  sworn,  deposes: 


170  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


Being  in  Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  about  the  7th  of  May, 
1905,  as  an  idle  visitor,  I  chanced  to  see  a  posted 
handbill  announcing  that  Dr.  Cook  would  deliver  a 
lecture  that  evening  on  ‘Psychical  Research.’ 

I  had  never  up  till  that  time  known  Dr.  Cook  but 
attracted  by  the  nature  of  the  subject  announced,  I 
went  to  hear  the  lecture. 

During  the  course  of  his  lecture,  the  doctor  ex¬ 
hibited  a  number  of  stereopticon  views  of  pictures, 
purporting  to  be  photographs  of  human  forms  that 
were  at  the  time  they  were  caught  by  the  photo¬ 
graphic  plate  entirely  invisible  to  the  eye. 

Among  these  pictures  was  one  which  I  distinctly 
recognised  as  that  of  Flora  Loudon,  who  died  more 
than  thirty  years  ago.  Her  death  occurred  shortly 
after  her  return  from  Washington,  D.  C.,  where  she 
had  been  with  her  grandfather,  General  Loudon,  to 
witness  the  ceremonies  of  the  Inauguration  of  Gen¬ 
eral  Grant  as  President  of  the  United  States. 

She  was  my  niece,  and  during  all  her  life  I  was  in 
her  company  very  often,  and  knew  her  intimately, 
and  hence  am  able  to  aver,  from  my  own  personal 
knowledge,  that  aforesaid  photograph  bears  a  most 
striking  resemblance  to  the  original,  as  I  knew  her 
near  the  time  of  her  decease. 

So  far  as  I  know,  there  was  never  taken  during  the 
life  of  Flora  Loudon  a  photograph  of  her,  with  such 
symbols  as  are  seen  on  said  photograph,  shown  me 
by  Dr.  Cook.  William  Loudon. 

Subscribed  and  sworn  to  before  me,  this  29th  day 
[Seal]  Edward  G.  Kuster, 

Notary  Public  in  and  for  Los  Angeles  Co.,  Cal.’ 

Testimony  2. 

On  the  same  day  (May  29th)  that  Air.  Loudon 
made  the  affidavit,  I  met  his  wife  who,  examining 
the  psychic  photograph,  said — ‘Yes,  it  looks  like 
Flora.  ’  Mr.  Loudon  explained  that  Mrs.  Loudon 
was  his  second  wife  and  had  had  but  slight  oppor- 


SOME  AMERICAN  CASES 


171 


tunity  to  know  his  niece.  But  Mrs.  Loudon’s  recog¬ 
nition  was  from  a  different  point  of  view  from  that 
of  her  husband.  She  said:  ‘It  resembles  very  much 
a  picture  I  once  saw  of  her.’  Several  days  after  this 
(July  3rd)  referring  to  a  picture  of  Flora  she  had 
seen  many  years  ago,  Mrs.  Loudon  said  ‘I  took  occa¬ 
sion  to  examine  and  study  the  face  carefully,  as  I 
thought  it  resembled  a  daughter  of  mine.’  Several 
days  later  (July  23rd),  describing  her  remembrance 
of  the  picture  she  had  seen  many  years  ago,  Mrs. 
Loudon  said,  ‘The  picture  I  referred  to  was  taken 
of  Flora  when — I  think  she  was  about  16  at  the  time 
■ — her  hair  was  down  on  the  forehead  and  the  face, 
a  front  view — just  like  the  one  you  have.  I  think  it 
was  in  the  possession  of  her  (Flora’s)  grandmother 
at  Georgetown,  Ohio.’ 

Testimony  3. 

Flora’s  Photograph. 

In  reply  to  a  letter  to  surviving  members  of  the 
Loudon  family  at  Georgetown,  Ohio,  they  sent  me  a 
photograph  of  Flora  Loudon  (the  only  one  obtain¬ 
able).  It  had  ‘May,  1872’  on  the  back  of  it.  This 
photograph  was  taken  of  her  at  the  age  of  22,  six 
years  after  I  knew  her  in  1866-7  as  a  classmate  at 
Antioch  College.  Although  the  lapse  of  six  years 
at  that  period  of  life  in  a  woman  usually  works  a 
great  change,  and  although  the  position  of  the  sitter 
in  the  photograph  is  different  from  that  of  the  psychic 
one — the  former  being  a  side  view  and  the  latter  a 
front  view — comparing  the  two  faces,  Mr.  Loudon 
repeatedly  affirmed  that  the  psychic  photograph  was 
‘an  excellent  likeness  of  Flora.’ 

Testimony  of  the  Symbols. 

The  symbols  in  the  psychic  photograph  are  pro¬ 
nounced  in  size  and  distinctness.  These  are,  star- 
shaped  flower  or  lily  in  the  hair,  just  above  the  fore- 


172  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


head,  cross  and  heart  below  the  face.  Mrs.  Loudon 
observed  that  the  flowers  in  Flora’s  hair  were  five  in 
number,  had  five  points  and  were  of  the  same  form 
or  shape  as  the  flower  in  the  psychic  photograph. 
There  are  in  Flora’s  photograph  five  small  or  minia¬ 
ture  flowers  in  her  hair,  above  the  left  ear,  and  near 
the  top  of  her  head ;  they  have  five  points,  and  are  of 
a  star  shape  or  form  like  a  lily.  The  large  flower  in 
the  hair  of  the  psychic  photograph,  just  above  the 
forehead,  has  five  points,  resembling  a  star  or  a  lily, 
and  is  of  the  same  shape  or  form  as  the  miniature 
flowers  in  Flora’s  photograph. 

Also  there  is  in  Flora’s  photograph,  among  the 
ornaments  on  her  person,  a  small  or  miniature  Cross, 
fastened  to  the  centre  portion  of  her  breast.  This 
Cross  serves  both  as  an  ornament  and  a  pin  holder, 
to  which  are  attached  her  watch  chain  and  another 
chain  holding  a  ring.  Examining  them  under  a 
magnifying  glass,  there  is  plainly  to  be  seen  a  strong 
resemblance  between  the  Cross  on  her  breast  and  the 
Cross  in  the  psychic  photograph — indeed  a  striking 
resemblance.  The  Cross  on  her  breast  is  Roman  in 
design,  and  so  too  is  the  Cross  in  the  psychic  photo¬ 
graph.  They  are  alike  in  design  and  in  the  same 
position. 

Comparing  the  symbols  and  ornaments  of  both 
.photographs,  the  only  difference  is  their  size.  The 
Cross  on  her  breast  is  a  miniature  compared  with  the 
Cross  in  the  psychic  photograph,  just  as  the  flowers 
or  lilies  in  her  hair  are  miniatures  compared  with  the 
large  shaped  flower  or  lily  in  the  psychic  photograph. 
(Whatever  other  purpose  the  symbols  signified,  it  is 
evident  from  the  foregoing  they  proved  a  subtle  mode 
of  identification. — J.  C.) 

Soul-Life. 

The  symbols  of  a  Star-Lily,  Heart  and  Cross  were 
perfectly  appropriate  to  Flora  Loudon.  They  con¬ 
firmed  even  more  impressively  than  anything  else 


SOME  AMERICAN  CASES 


173 


my  recognition  of  the  psychic  photograph  as  being 
the  likeness  of  my  classmate  and  friend  of  bygone 
years.  Associated  with  her  daily  in  the  classroom 
and  in  the  various  social  relations  of  student  life,  I 
came  to  know  her  inner  life  quite  well.  I  knew  Flora 
was  an  intensely  aspiring  soul,  noble,  pure,  childlike, 
untainted  by  worldly  ambition.  Iler  ideal  of  attain¬ 
ment,  was  high,  she  sought  most  earnestly  to  realise 
it ;  she  strove  for  this  with  the  utmost  application  of 
all  her  powers. 

A  Star,  in  the  likeness  of  a  Lily,  just  above  the  fore¬ 
head,  is  certainly  a  fitting  symbol  of  such  aspiration. 
Flora  was  heartily  in  sympathy  with  humanitarian 
and  altruistic  principles,  not  because  she  was  a  stu¬ 
dent  at  a  Unitarian  College  where  such  principles 
were  favored,  but  because  it  was  her  nature  to  live 
the  principle  of  love,  to  place  emphasis  upon  the  law 
of  progress,  the  law  of  universal  love.  We  know  that 
the  symbol  of  a  Heart  appropriately  expresses  such 
sentiments.  Hut  in  the  psychic  picture  it  represents 
the  real,  true  life  of  the  soul,  the  dominating  prin¬ 
ciple  of  a  transfigured  soul  in  that  other  world. 

After  a  year  of  absence.  Flora  returned  to  student 
life  at  Antioch.  But  it  soon  became  manifest  that  a 
change  had  taken  place.  She  did  not  resume  the 
regular  course  preparatory  for  College,  but  pursued 
only  a  few  selected  studies.  She  appeared  isolated 
and  solitary.  It  seemed  that  circumstances  over  which 
she  had  no  control  had  thwarted  the  realization  of 
high  aims,  and  suffering  arid  sacrifice  were  factors 
of  her  inner  life.  At  the  end  of  the  year  she  left 
College.  The  symbol  of  a  Cross,  as  we  know  it,  is  the 
most  fitting  symbol  to  express  such  sentiments. 

Rev.  Charles  Hall  Cook,  D.B.,  A.M.,  Ph.D.  (Diocese 
of  Colorado,  U.  S.  A.),  Member  of  the  American  So¬ 
ciety  for  Psychical  Research,  New  York;  American 
School  of  Metaphysics,  New  York;  English  Society 
for  Psychical  Research,  London  (American  Branch, 
1900-1007.)  ” 


174  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


Three  and  a  half  years  after  the  foregoing  investi¬ 
gations,  Dr.  Cook  visited  San  Diego,  Cal.,  U.  S.  A. 
(in  Jan.,  1905)  and  learned  that  Mr.  Wyllie  was  put¬ 
ting  up  at  the  Albion  Hotel.  The  doctor  determined 
to  have  a  new  series  of  experiments.  For  this  pur¬ 
pose,  he  purchased  a  new  camera,  with  a  supply  of  4 
x  5  Stanley  plates  and  all  necessary  accessories,  from 
Paterson’s  Photographic  Supply  House.  With  these, 
and  his  travelling  wrap,  which  he  used  as  a  back¬ 
ground,  he  commenced  his  second  course  of  investi¬ 
gations.  As  a  measure  of  precaution,  he  loaded  his 
carriers  in  his  dark-room  at  the  Willard  Hotel,  and, 
after  exposure,  took  them  with  his  camera  back  and 
there  developed  the  plates  exposed.  Giving  the  ac¬ 
count  of  one  of  these  experiments — too  long  to  pro¬ 
duce  here — Dr.  Cook  found,  on  developing  the  plate : 

There  was  plainly  visible  upon  the  lower  part  of 
my  breast  a  man ’s  face,  with  moustache,  whiskers  and 
other  interesting  features.  I  did  not  recognise  the 
face,  though  it  seemed  that  I  had  seen  it  somewhere. 

The  facts  to  be  noted  in  connection  with  this  ex¬ 
periment  are:  (1)  A  definite  result  was  obtained 
without  using  the  medium’s  camera,  and  without  con¬ 
tact  on  his  part  other  than  his  personal  presence ; 
(2)  I  used  my  own  camera  and  was  my  own  photog¬ 
rapher,  whilst  Mr.  Wyllie,  and  the  lady  assistant, 
were  merely  witnesses,  the  former  of  the  experiment 
(photographing  in  the  Albion),  and  the  latter  of  the 
result  (that  of  the  developing  in  dark-room  at  Mr. 
Patterson ’sj  gallery. — J.  C.) 

In  a  note  on  this  experiment,  Dr.  Cook  says : — 

About  a  month  later,  in  conversation  with  an  ex¬ 
pert  photographer,  at  Los  Angeles,  I  described  in  de- 


SOME  AMERICAN  CASES 


175 


tail  the  conditions  of  this  experiment,  and  then  asked 
him  if  there  could  have  been  an  invisible  picture  or 
image  on  Mr.  Wyllie’s  hand  transferred  to  the  plate 
at  the  time  he  “magnetised”  it.  He  said  it  was  im¬ 
possible  without  the  action  of  light,  and  if  the  photog¬ 
rapher  had  a  phosphorescent  or  “radium”  picture 
in  his  hand,  the  light  or  luminosity  of  it  would  easily 
be  discoverable  in  the  dark-room.  Also,  if  it  were 
possible  for  light  to  have  any  effect  afterwards  by  an 
exposure  through  the  camera,  the  impress  of  the  in¬ 
visible  picture  or  image  on  the  photographer’s  hand 
would  not  only  have  to  be  that  of  contact,  but  espe¬ 
cially  that  of  a  very  strong  pressure  upon  the  plate ; 
and  even  then  the  result,  he  said,  if  any,  would 
probably  be  very  indistinct  or  much  blurred. 

In  Dr.  Cook’s  investigations  with  Mr.  Alex.  Mar¬ 
tin,  a  photographer  in  Denver  City,  he  noticed  the 
frequency  with  which  groups  of  children  and  baby 
faces  appear  on  his  plates.  Here  the  factor  of  identi¬ 
fication  did  not  enter,  but  another  important  one  did, 
viz.,  the  faces  came  under  test  conditions.  Why? 
Wherefore?  Cui  bonot  are  questions  not  readily  an¬ 
swered.  Mr.  Martin  has  been  successful  in  obtaining 
identifiable  “extras.”  But,  as  the  baby  faces  are  so 
charming — not  psychic  figures  behaving  badly — I  pro¬ 
duce  two  photographs  out  of  those  sent,  each  obtained 
under  different  conditions. 

Mr.  Martin  is  an  old  man  now,  but  still  carries 
on  business.  Ilis  studio  is  at  2953  Zuric  Street,  Den¬ 
ver  City,  Colorado,  where  he  has  resided  nearly  forty 
years.  He  is  a  man  of  upright  character,  retiring  dis¬ 
position,  and  is  esteemed  in  the  community.  He  is 
not  supposed  to  give  sittings  for  psychic  photography 


176  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


now.  Much  to  liis  regret  “Spirit  Pictures”  still  in¬ 
trude  on  his  plates,  and  “spoil”  them  from  a  business 
standpoint. 


Fig.  40.  Flash-light  Photograph  of  Materialized  Form,  and 
also  of  Invisible  Faces,  and  a  head  and  bust. 

For  Dr.  Cook,  as  representative  of  the  A.  S.  P.  R., 
he  took  photographs,  under  the  doctor’s  own  con¬ 
ditions. 


SOME  AMERICAN  CASES 


177 


From  Dr.  Cook’s  hitherto  unpublished  reports  1 
summarise  the  following: — 

THE  INVISIBLE  PHOTOGRAPHED  AT  A  MATERIALISATION. 

I  was  present,  April  15,  1903,  by  invitation  at  a 
materialisation  in  Lincoln  Ilall,  Denver,  Colorado. 
The  phenomena  were  extremely  interesting.  Occupy¬ 
ing'  a  seat  nearest  to  the  cabinet,  within  about  twelve 
feet  of  the  platform  and  about  five  feet  from  the 
camera,  I  saw  distinctly  a  white  form  appear. 

Mr.  Alex.  Martin,  photographer  at  1639  Platte 
Street,  made  (under  flash-light)  two  exposures  upon 
the  white  form  that  stood  in  front  of  the  cabinet. 

There  were  no  flowers  or  decorations  in  front  of 
the  cabinet  or  anywhere  about  it  or  on  the  platform. 
In  the  rear  of  the  cabinet  there  was  only  the  plain 
wall  of  the  hall,  with  one  picture  hanging  on  it  and 
just  above  the  cabinet,  the  motto,  “  Welcome.” 

Upon  developing  the  two  plates  exposed  on  this 
occasion  there  were  other  phenomenal  effects  than  the 
white  form  which  I  saw  appear  from  the  cabinet  and 
stand  upon  the  platform.  On  one  plate  there  was  td 
the  right  a  column  of  children’s  and  baby  faces,  ex¬ 
tending  from  the  platform  to  the  top  of  the  cabinet. 
In  front  of  the  white  form  there  were  masses  of 
flowers  and  to  the  left,  the  bust  and  face  of  a  female 
on  the  platform. 

On  the  other  plate  there  was  an  oval  cloud  of  baby 
faces,  enveloping  the  bust  of  the  white  form  and 
totally  obliterating  its  face,  numbering  not  less  than 
twenty  faces.  (Fig.  41.) 

Without  giving  full  details  from  Dr.  Cook's  re¬ 
port,  it  is  sufficient  to  say  the  doctor’s  confidence  in 
Mr.  Martin  is  of  the  most  emphatic  character.  What 


178  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


he  says  about  materialisations  and  photography  I 
can  accept — not  so  much  because  of  this  particular  in¬ 
stance,  as  from  the  testimony  of  Sir  William 
Crookes ;  other  eminent  investigators  and  my  own 
actual  experiences.  As  confirming  the  possibility  of 
photographing  the  Invisible  at  materialisation  se¬ 
ances,  I  give  the  evidence  of  Prof.  Willy  Reichel. 
Apart  from  his  eminent  standing,  he  has  been  and  is 
associated  in  France — if  not  in  Europe — with  the 
brightest  scientific  men  of  the  age,  who  do  not  stultify 
psycho-physical  phenomena  with  the  shallow  flippancy 
of  egotistical  conjurors,  but  bring  to  their  investiga¬ 
tion  calm  reserve  and  the  keen  watchfulness  of  the 
cultured  intellect.  Professor  Reichel  is  one  whose  ob¬ 
servations  demand  respect.  He  had  been  investigat¬ 
ing  in  California  the  phenomena  of  materialisation 
with  Mr.  Miller.  The  number,  variety  and  the  nature 
of  these  were  so  extraordinary  that  he  says: — 

On  October  29th  and  again  on  Nov.  2,  1905,  I  sent 
for  a  San  Francisco  photographer,  Mr.  Edward 
Wyllie,  to  see  what  impression  would  be  made  on  a 
photographic  plate  by  the  beings  who  appeared.  Some 
remarkable  pictures  were  taken  by  flashlight.  Be¬ 
sides  the  fully  materialised  forms  there  were  shown 
on  the  photographs  several  spirits  who  cotdd  not  he 
seen  by  the  physical  eyes.  In  one  of  the  latter  figures 
I  instantly  recognised  an  uncle  of  mine  whom  I  had 
made  acquainted  with  Spiritualism  about  twelve  years 
previously  through  the  assistance  of  another  medium. 

(The  italics  are  mine. — J.  C.) 

I  may  add  that  among  the  spirit  forms  which  ma- 


SOME  AMERICAN  CASES 


179 


terialised  one  was  that  of  Mine.  Reichel’s  sister,  which 
the  Professor  recognised,  and  which  helped  to  en¬ 
large  his  views  of  these  phenomena.  Mr.  Wyllie  on 
several  other  occasions,  although  not  stated  in  this 
book,  took  photographs  equally  interesting  to  those 
mentioned,  for  Professor  and  Mine.  Reicliel. 

Whatever  may  be  thought  of  the  foregoing  state¬ 
ments  concerning  materialisations,  testimony  of  this 
nature  cannot  be  lightly  thrown  aside.  Here  we 
have  evidence  of  the  presence  of  intelligent  persons — 
albeit  invisible — at  materialisations,  and  the  Fact  of 
Identification. 

Dr.  Cook,  following  up  his  experiences,  on  the  15th 
April,  1903,  decided  to  have  a  series  of  test  experi¬ 
ments  with  Air.  Alex.  Martin.  The  doctor  called  upon 
Mr.  Martin  and  explained  his  object  and  Mr.  Martin 
not  only  granted  him  the  privilege,  but  gave  him  his 
services  without  remuneration.  Not  only  were  the 
conditions  severe  in  their  simplicity,  but  certain  In¬ 
telligences  had  promised  through  the  hand  of  an 
automatist  to  assist  and  give  their  “pictures.” 

The  plates  used  and  bought  by  the  doctor  were  never 
out  of  his  possession,  save  when  he  himself  put  them  in 
the  carrier.  After  exposure,  these  were  taken  away  by 
him  to  his  residence  1906  Pearl  street,  and  developed 
by  him.  So  Martin  had  nothing  to  do  except  to 
take  off  the  cap  of  the  camera,  time  and  make  the  ex¬ 
posures.  From  beginning  to  end  Dr.  Cook  had  con¬ 
trol  of  all  the  photographic  procedure.  In  two  ex¬ 
periments  out  of  eleven,  in  addition  to  the  camera, 


180  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


lens,  carrier  and  all  accessories  being  carefully  ex¬ 
on  lined,  all  the  rugs  from  the  floor,  and  the  back 


Fig.  41.  Group  of  Children’s  faces,  which  enveloped  the  Face 
and  Bust  of  the  Lady,  so  as  to  hide  them  from  view.  i.  e., 
the  Visible  is  not  but  the  Invisible  is  photographed. 


screens  were  removed,  so  that  there  was  nothing  in 
the  room  save  the  camera,  and  a  wooden  chair  to  sit 


SOME  AMERICAN  CASES 


181 


on.  The  white  wall  of  the  room  was  used  as  the  back¬ 
ground.  The  weather  being  warm,  Mr.  Martin  was  in 
his  shirt  sleeves.  There  were  no  mirrors  or  trick  ap¬ 
pliances  either  in  the  room  or  about  the  old  man,  and 
under  these  conditions  invisible  forms  and  faces  were 
obtained  upon  the  plates. 

Concerning  this  concluding  experiment  of  the 
twelve,  which  took  place  14th  May,  1903,  Dr.  Cook 
says : 

On  my  way  to  Mr.  Martin’s,  1  called  upon  Miss 
Elizabeth  Maud  Weatherhead,  the  automatist  to 
whom  I  referred,  thinking  that  her  presence  might 
help  in  my  experiments.  I  explained  to  her  that  I 
was  going  to  try  for  a  “spirit”  photograph  at  Mr. 
Martin’s  and  wanted  her  to  be  the  sitter.  She  said 
she  would  take  the  next  car  to  the  Gallery.  Before 
Miss  W.  arrived,  I  examined  carefully  the  interior  of 
Mr.  Martin’s  camera,  lens  and  plate-holder,  removed 
the  rugs  from  the  floor,  and  the  screens  behind  the 
sitter’s  chair,  and  there  was  only  the  white  plastered 
wall  as  background,  which  I  also  carefully  inspected. 

On  Miss  W.’s  arrival,  at  my  request,  Mr.  Martin 
removed  the  plate-holder  from  the  camera,  and  we 
went  into  the  dark  closet  together.  I  then  took  a 
plate  from  the  box  I  carried  in  my  side  coat  pocket, 
and  at  my  request,  Mr.  Martin  drew  back  the  slide 
and  we  together,  he  holding  the  plate  at  one  end  and 
I  at  the  other,  placed  it  in  the  holder,  fastened  it  and 
closed  the  holder.  With  one  hand  resting  on  the 
plate-holder,  I  opened  the  door.  At  my  request,  Mr. 
Martin,  with  the  other,  took  hold  of  it  and  we  went 
into  the  Gallery.  Miss  W.  took  the  sitter’s  chair 
(whilst  Mr.  Martin  had  placed  the  plate-holder  on  a 
chair  near  the  camera.)  We  focussed  the  camera 
upon  Miss  W.  Mr.  Martin  adjusted  the  holder  in 


182  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


it,  uncapped  the  leM>  and  timed  an  exposure.  Re¬ 
moving  the  holder  from  the  camera,  we  went  into  the 
dark  closet.  I  took  the  plate  and  put  it  into  an 
empty  box  that  I  carried  in  my  coat  pocket.  This 
plate  1  took  to  my  residence  and  locked  it  up  till  I 
had  time  and  opportunity  for  developing  it.  This 
was  done  shortly  afterwards  by  an  amateur  photog¬ 
rapher  and  myself,  in  the  rooms  of  the  former.  The 
experiment  was  a  success,  for  on  the  upper  half  of 
the  photograph  there  was  a  cloud  of  baby  faces,  num¬ 
bering  more  than  thirty  over  and  about  the  head  of 
Miss  Weatherhead. 

PSYCHIC  PHOTOGRAPHY  IN  SOUTH  AFRICA 

The  photographer  Mr.  Blond  referred  to  in  these 
papers  has  been  testified  to  by  several  correspondents. 
Of  these,  Mr.  A.  Brittlebank ’s  testimony  is  the  most 
important.  He  is  not  only  a  photographer  of  forty 
years’  experience,  but  has  had  ample  opportunities  to 
investigate.  He  sent  me  a  parcel  of  photographs.  In 
reply  to  a  request  for  details,  Mr.  Brittlebank,  writing 
from  the  Salisbury  Hotel,  Johannesburg,  19th  June, 
1910,  says — - 

As  regards  the  photographs,  I  am  not  able  to  recog¬ 
nise  any.  I  can  only  imagine  that  on  the  photo  where 
Mr.  Horne  and  I  are  together,  the  female  is  the  spirit 
form  of  my  sister,  to  whom  I  was  attached  years  ago. 
The  greater  part  of  the  photographs  were  taken  under 
conditions  which  would  satisfy  any  practical  photog¬ 
rapher  as  to  the  genuineness  of  the  spirit  forms. 

The  photographer,  Mr.  Blond,  was,  at  the  time, 
carrying  on  business  at  Dorrnfontein,  a  suburb  of 
Johannesburg.  In  my  opinion  he  had  excellent 
psychic  powers,  but  as  seen  from  the  pose  of  his  sit¬ 
ters,  he  was  not  an  artistic  photographer.  He  was  a 


SOME  SOUTH  AFRICAN  CASES 


183 


very  nervous  man  and  terribly  afraid  of  being  ac¬ 
cused  of  fraud.  The  opinion  which  I  formed  of  him 


Fig.  42.  Photograph  No.  7  of  Mr.  Brittlebank’s  Parcel;  and 
Psychic  “Extra”  of  Kaffir,  taken  under  Test  Conditions. 
Umfaan  or  servant  hoy  of  the  sitter. 

was  and  is  that  he  “would  not  if  he  could,  and  could 
not  if  he  would”  impose  on  anyone.  So  far  as  my 
experience  goes,  Mr.  Blond  is  a  perfectly  honourable 


184  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


man.  1  vouch  for  all  photographs  when  I  am  the 
sitter. 

In  No.  1,  where  the  subjects  are  a  gentleman  sitting 
and  a  lady  standing,  the  form  of  the  gentleman  is  al¬ 
most  obliterated  by  the  “extra’s”  aura,  while  in  the 
left  hand  corner  is  a  full-sized  figure  of  a  lady  draped 
in  white,  and  surrounded  by  flowers.  The  “extras” 
are  differently  focussed  and  out  of  proportion  to  the 
material  subjects  photographed. 

No.  2.  The  subject  is  a  lady  and  the  psychic  “ex¬ 
tra”  is  the  faintly  defined  face  of  a  female  surrounded 
in  auric  light. 

No.  3.  Photograph  of  lady  in  which  there  appears 
the  three-quarter  length  figure  of  a  female,  classically 
clad,  and  sorrowful  in  expression. 

No.  4.  This  photograph  was  taken  in  total  darkness. 
There  is  no  subject.  The  psychic  form  is  not  unlike 
a  Greek  peasant.  The  dress,  style  and  pose  suggest 
that.  The  scientific  value  of  this  picture  arises  from 
the  undoubted  fact  of  its  being  taken  by  its  own  light. 
Exposure,  eight  minutes. 

No.  5.  The  subjects  are  Mr.  Brittlebank  and  a 
friend.  The  psychic  “extra”  is  that  of  a  little  gii'l 
standing  behind  a  chair,  on  which  the  friend  rests  his 
hands. 

No.  6.  Same  lady  sitter  as  in  No.  1 ,  and  two  psychic 
forms  (features  ill  defined)  clad  in  white  flowing 
robes.  Of  scientific  but  no  identifiable  value. 

No.  7.  Sitter  a  friend  of  Mr.  Brittlebank ’s,  with 
psychic  face  of  Kaffir  boy,  well  defined  on  background. 


SOME  SOUTH  AFRICAN  CASES 


185 


No.  8.  Same  lady  subject  as  in  No.  1,  with  psychic 
“extra”  of  old  gentleman  possessing  intelligent  fea¬ 
tures  and  graceful,  flowing  white  beard. 

No.  9.  Photograph  of  Air.  Brittlebank  and  Air. 
Ilorne,  and  the  identified  psychic  portrait  of  Air. 
Brittlebank ’s  sister.  However  valuable,  the  photo¬ 
graph  is  somewhat  faded  and  does  not  lend  itself  to 
reproduction. 

No.  10.  Photograph  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ilorne  and  the 
graceful  face  and  bust  of  a  young  lady.  Bust  partly 
illuminated. 

No.  11  is  that  of  Mr.  and  Airs.  Horne  and  the 
clearly  definable  face  of  an  elderly  person  with 
whiskers. 

The  last  two  pictures  were  taken  under  test  condi¬ 
tions  by  Mr.  Horne,  who  purchased  the  plates  used 
from  Mr.  Davies,  photographer,  who  loaded  Mr. 
Blond’s  slides.  When  the  portraits  were  taken,  Mr. 
Ilorne  took  the  slides  and  contents  back  to  Mr.  Davies 
for  development.  Mr.  Blond,  the  psychic  photog¬ 
rapher,  had  no  opportunity  of  doing  other  than  make 
the  exposure. 

The  photograph  of  No.  7  (that  of  the  Kaffir  boy) 
and  No.  10  (of  the  young  lady)  are  given,  not  on  ac¬ 
count  of  recognition,  but  because  of  scientific  value. 

In  addition  to  the  photograph  sent  me  by  Mr.  Brit¬ 
tlebank,  I  received  photograph  of  Mr.  0.  W.  Menzel 
(of  the  Union  of  South  Africa  Department  of  Agri¬ 
culture,  Pretoria)  who  writes,  dated  13th  Dee., 
1910:— 


186  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


I  have  no  objection  to  the  publishing  of  my  name 
in  connection  with  spirit  photo,  which  I  maintain  lias 


Fig.  43.  The  Horne  Photograph  No.  10  and  unknown  Lady 
Taken  under  Test  Conditions,  by  Mr.  Blond,  psychic 
photographer. 


a  great  resemblance  to  my  father.  I  am  not  a  con¬ 
vinced  Spiritualist. 


SOME  SOUTH  AFRICAN  CASES 


187 


This  testimony  is  valuable  as  testifying  to  the  fact 
of  psychic  photography  by  one  not  warped  in  his 
judgment  by  a  bias  towards  Spiritualism. 

On  examination  of  the  batch  of  photographs,  I  find 
the  same  old  problem  to  solve  as  in  most  psychic  pho¬ 
tographs  taken  in  the  United  States  and  in  Britain, 
viz.,  that  of  focusing  and  light.  These  problems  are 
not  solved  until  we  find  the  key  in  psychography. 


CHAPTER  IX 


THREE  PSYCHIC  PHOTOGRAPHS  AND  A 
SPIRIT  MESSAGE 

Before  Mr.  Edward  [Wyllie  was  induced  to  come  to 
this  country,  Mr.  A.  K.  Yenning',  well-known  to  the 
readers  of  the  Spiritualistic  Press,  sent  a  letter  to 
The  Two  Worlds  (1st  Jan.,  1909)  to  the  effect  that 
some  simple  plan  be  carried  out  to  test  Mr.  Wyllie ’s 
abilities.  He  suggested  that  “half  a  dozen  of  those 
interested  send  locks  of  hair  for  Mr.  Wyllie  to  photo¬ 
graph.  ”  He  had  no  doubt  they  would  receive  proof. 
A  nominal  fee  of  two  shillings  was  to  be  sent  with  the 
article.  The  editor  was  invited  to  arrange.  There 
was  no  arrangement  and  instead  of  six,  probably  forty 
applied.  All  got  something,  and  some  obtained  iden- 
fitable  portraits,  of  departed  friends.  I  could  give 
some  of  these,  but  confine  myself  to  those  in  which 
I  have  a  special  interest. 

Among  those  who  complied  were  two  ladies,  viz., 
Airs.  A.  S.  Hunter,  widow  of  Dr.  Archibald  Hunter, 
Bridge  of  Allan ;  and  Madame  A.  L.  Pogosky,  Lon¬ 
don.  As  we  are  concerned  in  the  statements  made  by 
these  ladies,  I  wish  to  emphasize  my  convictions  as  to 
their  intelligence,  sincerity  and  probity.  Mrs.  Hunter 


188 


THREE  PSYCHIC  PHOTOGRAPHS  189 


has  been  resident  in  Bridge  of  Allan,  Scotland,  for 
forty  years,  where  her  late  husband  practised  as  IIv- 


Fig.  -14.  Photograph  of  letter  and  lock  of  hair  sent  by  Mrs. 
A.  S.  Hunter,  and  three  “extras,”  done  by  Mr.  Edward 
Wyllie. 


gienic  Physician  of  the  well-known  Hydropathic  Es¬ 
tablishment,  which  lie  built  and  which  lias  been  car¬ 
ried  on  for  over  half  a  century. 


190  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


Madame  Pogosky  has  resided  in  London  for  twenty- 
six  years,  where  she  directs  a  philanthropic  under¬ 
taking,  the  Russian  Peasant  Industries.  This  lady 
and  Mrs.  Hunter  have  long  been  friends  and  both  are 
interested  in  kindred  subjects. 

I  now  produce  the  photographs  and  the  results  of 
the  experiments. 

Mrs.  Hunter  received  the  photo  (Fig.  14)  early  in 
February,  1909.  Taking  a  casual  glance  at  it,  and 
disappointed  at  not  obtaining,  as  she  had  hoped,  her 
husband’s  likeness,  she  posted  the  card  to  her  friend, 
who  sent  it  back  with  the  card  she  had  received.  On 
Madame  Pogosky ’s  card  there  was  Dr.  Hunter’s  face, 
and  another  not  recognized.  Before  closing  this  ac¬ 
count.  I  will  deal  with  this  unknown  “extra.” 

Mrs.  Hunter  immediately  acquainted  Mr.  Wyllie  of 
the  strange  fact  that  her  husband’s  portrait  came  on 
Madame  Pogosky ’s  card.  In  Mr.  Wyllie ’s  reply,  dated 
Los  Angeles,  17tli  March,  1909,  he  says,  “It  is  cer¬ 
tainly  hard  to  understand,  but  these  have  happened 
many  times.” 

Mrs.  Hunter’s  photograph  was  returned  to  her,  but 
she  being  seriously  ill,  it  was  put  aside  and  overlooked. 
I  had  written  to  her  about  Mr.  Wyllie  and  the  ar¬ 
rangements  for  his  coming  to  Great  Britain.  In  her 
reply,  which  I  summarize  dated  2nd  Aug-.,  1909,  she 
said : — 

I  think  I  told  you  my  Russian  friend  held  the 
photos  which  she  and  I  promised  you.  My  long  and 
severe  illness  this  Spring  seems  to  have  played  tricks 


THREE  PSYCHIC  PHOTOGRAPHS  191 


with  my  memory,  for  I  have  found  the  card,  which  I 
must  have  got  back  from  Madame  Pogosky — after  she 
had  shown  it — (with  her  own,  which  had  my  hus¬ 
band’s  face  in  it)  to  Mr.  Stead.  I  must  have  laid  it 
away  and  forgotten  I  had  it. 

But  strange  to  say,  I  seemed  to  remember  that  I 
did  not  recognise  any  of  the  faces  on  my  card — only 
Dr.  Hunter  on  Madame  Pogosky ’s.  Yet,  yesterday, 
when  I  got  sight  of  it,  I  was  at  once  amazed  to  find 
three  faces,  all  quite  clear  and  familiar.  One,  an  old 
schoolfellow  who  passed  away  a  few  years  ago,  and 
whom  I  saw  the  day  after  she  passed — here — as  if 
lying  in  bed  and  face  muffled  up.  On'  inquiry,  my 
sister  told  me  that  was  how  she  lay  in  her  last  illness. 
The  other  two  are  relatives  of  mine.  The  youngest 
was  named  after  me.  There  were  two  girls  and  a  boy. 
One  of  these  sisters  passed  away  before  and  the  other 
after  him.  This  child  is  very  like  the  photos  of  several 
sisters  of  hers  that  we  have  in  the  house.  The  other 
is  older  and  more  like  what  she  would  be  now.  All 
three  came  to  me  several  times  through  the  medium- 
ship  of  Miss  Macreadie  of  London.  .  . 

To  this  is  added  the  remarkable  statement : — 

I  am  certain  that  this  photo  has  become  more  defi¬ 
nite  and  clear  and  legible  than  when  it  arrived  months 
ago. 


Granting  that  there  is  no  mistake  in  identification, 
and  that  the  “extras”  bear  a  striking  family  likeness 
to  those  portraits  in  her  possession,  and  confirm  com¬ 
munications  received  prior  to  being  taken,  this  would 
he  fair  evidence  from  the  spiritualistic  standpoint. 
As  to  the  photograph  becoming  clearer,  although  this 
is  the  reverse  of  usual  experience,  I  have  taken  the 


192  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


trouble  to  search  all  available  records  and  find  that 
there  have  been  similar  cases. 


Fig.  45.  Photograph  of  Lock  of  Hair  sent  by  Madame  L. 
Pogosky,  on  which  appears  the  face  of  Dr.  Hunter  and  a 
Lady’s  face. 

Before  recording-  what  Madame  Pogosky  says,  it  is 
to  be  noted  that  Mrs.  Hunter’s  identification  was 


THREE  PSYCHIC  PHOTOGRAPHS  193 


promptly  given  me  in  two  letters  sometime  before  her 
illness  took  place.  The  evidence  of  identity  is  sub¬ 
stantiated  by  portraits  of  the  doctor  in  the  Bridge  of 
Allan.  I  knew  Dr.  Hunter  well.  He  frequently  vis¬ 
ited  me  in  Glasgow.  I  think  it  is  a  very  good  likeness 
of  him.  Mrs.  Coates  knew  him  too,  as  the  doctor  was 
a  friend  of  her  father,  the  late  Mr.  David  Anderson, 
of  Glasgow,  and  says  it  is  much  older,  and  not  so  vir¬ 
ile  as  when  she  saw  him  last.  I  have  shown  the  photo¬ 
graph  to  others,  and  all  say  it  is  a  good  likeness.  One 
who  knew  him  intimately,  but  declines  publicity,  says, 
“  It  is  very  like  him  as  he  looked  towards  the  end.” 

From  Madame  Pogoskv’s  letter  1  take  the  follow¬ 
ing  : — 

41  Old  Bond  Stieet,  London, 

3rd  May,  1910. 

Dear  Mr.  Coates:  I  read  your  note  on  Mrs.  Hun¬ 
ter’s  experience.  Now  I  send  you  mine.  The  spirit- 
photo  enclosed  was  done  at  the  same  time  as  Mrs. 
Hunter’s,  in  Los  Angeles,  by  Mr.  Wyllie.  You  can 
see  my  own  handwriting  on  the  envelope,  and  behind 
it  Dr.  Hunter’s  face.  Why  Dr.  Hunter  appeared  on 
mine  and  not  on  his  wife’s  photo  puzzled  us  not  a 
little.  I  expected  my  own  brother,  and  never  thought 
to  get  Dr.  Hunter,  as  he  never  saw  me  while  on  earth 
plane. 

Psychic  experiences  cannot  be  taken  in  this  frag¬ 
mentary  way,  because  they  have  a  much  deeper  mean¬ 
ing  and  significance,  and  form  not  a  separate  happen¬ 
ing,  but  are  part  of  our  life,  and  it  seemed  to  me  can 
be  understood  only  in  connection  with  this  life. 

When  the  photo  arrived  from  Los  Angeles  I  asked 
my  unseen  correspondent  why  he  came  on  my  photo 


194  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


instead  of  Airs.  Hunter’s;  he  laconically  said,  ‘You 
needed  it  more.’  Now,  this  was  perfectly  true.  1 
was  at  the  beginning  of  my  resurrection — meaning 
evolution — from  a  state  of  total  negation  of  long 
years  to  one  of  truth,  or  glimpses  of  it.  There  has 
been  awakened  in  myself  a  consciousness  of  survival 
and  life  eternal.  Only  those  who  have  passed  through 
painful  processes  in  rebuilding  every  atom  of  one’s 
being  to  the  new  truth  know  how  often  such  souls 
are  beset  with  doubts.  Now,  when  you  have  examined 
this,  you  will  understand  why  the  doctor  said  “You 
needed  this  more.”  Mrs.  Hunter  is  a  Spiritualist  of 
twenty  years,  standing,  perhaps  longer.  She  required 
no  proofs.  Now,  that  is  the  explanation  ...  If 
Mrs.  Hunter  thought  her  photo  got  clearer,  I  am  in¬ 
clined  to  think  mine  got  hazier.  I  hope  you  will  get  a 
good  reproduction  of  it.  Yours  sincerely, 

A.  L.  Pogosky, 

Madame  Pogosky  at  first  used  to  get  messages  from 
the  doctor  through  Ouija.  Then  she  developed  im- 
pressional  or  telepathic  writing,  and  many  short  but 
clearly  individualized  letters  were  sent  through  her 
hands  to  Mrs.  Hunter,  who  knew  their  import  when 
Madame  Pogosky  did  not.  Latterly  this  lady  devel¬ 
oped  both  clairaudient  and  clairvoyant  faculties  and 
was  able  to  see  and  converse  with  her  friends,  includ¬ 
ing  the  doctor,  and  this  photograph,  most  prized,  tv 
her  was  the  crowning  evidence.  Just  one  point  here. 
The  lady  is  a  stranger  to  me — not  unknown,  how¬ 
ever — but  her  remark  that  the  doctor’s  reply  was  a 
laconic  one  is  to  me  very  convincing.  Tie  had  a  quiet, 
direct  and  often  humorous  way  of  speaking.  It  was 
just  his  style. 


THREE  PSYCHIC  PHOTOGRAPHS  195 


This  is  the  first  case  on  record  where  the  Invisible 
has  been  only  clairvoyantly  perceived  and  whose  pho¬ 
tograph  has  been  recognized  on  that  basis.  In  this  in¬ 
teresting  case  Madame  Pogosky  never  saw  Dr.  Ilnnter 
in  the  body.  Photography  demonstrates  that  that 
which  is  clairvoyantly  perceived  has  often  an  object¬ 
ive,  although  invisible  existence.  What  the  Psychical 
Researchers  call  “A  veridical  hallucination”  is  dem¬ 
onstrated  by  photography.  Here  again  we  are  on  the 
borderland  of  Thought  Photography,  dealt  with  in 
‘‘Seeing  the  Invisible.” 

The  hitherto  unrecognized  face,  Fig.  45  of  a  lady 
proved  to  be  that  of  the  late  Mrs.  John  Auld.  As  soon 
as  we  saw  this  face,  I  at  once  notified  Madame  Po¬ 
gosky  that  we  identified  it.  In  her  letter  dated  6th 
May,  from  41  Old  Bond  Street,  London,  W.,  she 
says : — 

I  am  glad  that  you  and  Mrs.  Coates  recognised  Dr. 
Hunter,  and  even  the  other  face.  I  have  given  this 
experience  as  a  proof  in  my  article  to  the  Russian 
Theosophical  Messenger ,  as  in  Russia  there  are  also 
so  many  who  have  no  real  Faith,  and  look  for  tests. 

I  mention  the  foregoing  to  show  that  it  was  not  an 
afterthought  on  our  part,  the  recognition.  I  now  give 
the  testimony  of  the  gentleman  to  whom  this  unidenti¬ 
fied  face  (by  others)  proved  of  most  interest. 

Mr.  Auld  first  saw  this  likeness  on  Friday,  20th 
May,  1910.  He  had  been  abroad  for  the  winter.  Had 
he  been  home  sooner,  I  could  not  have  shown  him  the 
photographs,  which  I  had  only  received,  with  Madame 


196  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


Pogosky’s  letter  of  the  3rd  May  in  which  he  learned 
that  Dr.  Hunter’s  and  Mr.  Auld’s  portraits  had  been 
taken  by  Mr.  Wyllie  in  Los  Angeles  long  before  his 
arrival  in  this  country. 

In  giving  Mr.  Auld’s  statement,  I  desire  to  say  that 
I  have  known  this  gentleman,  who  is  a  neighbour,  for 
about  sixteen  years.  He  is  a  practical  man,  one  of 
the  heads  of  an  important  firm  of  engineers,  whose 
inventions  are  employed  by  all  leading  engineers.  Ilis 
caution,  discrimination  and  integrity  I  never  have  had 
reason  to  doubt.  He  has  little  to  gain  and  much  to  lose 
by  publicity  in  this  matter.  I  now  summarize  his  re¬ 
marks  on  seeing  the  photograph. 

It  is  the  portrait  of  my  wife.  I  am  surprised  to 
get  it  in  this  way.  It  is  better  than  the  one  on  my 
breast  (alluding  to  a  psychic  picture  taken  in  Rothe¬ 
say,  dealt  with  elsewhere).  It  is  clearer.  It  is  a  bet¬ 
ter  test  than  if  I  obtained  it  in  your  house.  It  is  her 
face.  Lest  I  should  be  misled  by  general  resemblance, 
I  recognise  every  feature  in  detail.  It  is  a  remark¬ 
able  test.  But  it  is  not  what  I  expected.  I  thought 
if  I  obtained  her  spirit  photograph  she  would  be  more 
like  what  I  thought  one  would  be  from  the  happy 
messages  which  I  received  through  Mrs.  Coates.  But 
instead  of  the  likeness  which  I  conceived  would  be 
given  me,  this  face  represents  her  as  she  was  in  her 
last  illness,  and  is  a  very  striking  likeness  indeed. 

As  the  remark  “It  is  a  better  test  than  if  taken  in 
your  house,”  is  somewhat  cryptic,  I  may  explain  that 
when  Mr.  Wyllie ’s  mediumship  was  talked  over  in 
Rothesay,  some  ten  months  before  Mr.  Wyllie ’s  arrival 
in  Scotland,  Mrs.  John  Auld  was  asked,  when  con- 


THREE  PSYCHIC  PHOTOGRAPHS  197 


trolling  Mrs.  Coates,  if  she  could  not  get  a  photograph 
given  us  through  Mr.  Wyllie’s  mediumship.  She  said, 
“I  will  try,  John,”. and  we  laughingly  replied,  “If 
you  succeed,  it  will  he  a  good  test.”  Shortly  before 
Mr.  Auld  left  Rothesay,  when  the  subject  was  again 
discussed,  Mrs.  Auld  informed  him  that  he  “would 
get  a  great  surprise,”  and  he  did;  for  I  received  this 
photograph  just  17  days  before  his  return. 

When  Mrs.  Coates  and  I  saw  the  unrecognized  (?) 
photo,  it  was,  indeed,  a  surprising  hit  of  evidence. 
We  knew  the  face  at  once,  having  seen  the  same  face 
on  Mr.  Auld's  breast,  in  a  photograph  taken  of  that 
gentleman  by  Mr.  Wyllie,  in  Glenheg  House  in  Octo¬ 
ber,  1909. 

No  one  who  has  given  any  attention  to  spirit-photog¬ 
raphy  but  realizes  that  identifiable  portraits  are  the 
crux  on  which  the  value  of  evidence  turns,  as  far  as 
Spiritualists  are  concerned.  All  the  rest — testing — 
is  so  much  research,  scientific  or  otherwise,  into  the 
possibilities  of  photography.  Here  we  have  an  identi¬ 
fied  photograph  of  a  lady,  taken  by  a  stranger  six 
thousand  miles  away,  wholly  ignorant  of  either  Mr. 
Auld  or  ourselves.  I  had  not  written  this  medium  till 
the  17th  of  March,  1909,  nearly  two  months  after  this 
picture  was  obtained,  and  of  its  existence  none  in 
Rothesay  were  aware  till  it  was  sent  from  London  in 
May,  nearly  fourteen  months  afterwards.  Truly  truth 
is  stranger  than  fiction. 

Whether  coincidence  or  design,  the  fact  remains 
that  Mrs.  Auld ’s  first  photograph  was  obtained  in  Los 


108  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


Angeles.  Mrs.  Coates’  grandmother  was  obtained 
there  also,  and  neither  Mr.  Anld  nor  Mrs.  Coates  were 
aware  of  the  fact  for  months  afterwards,  and  both  ob¬ 
tained  confirmatory  psycho — portraits  of  these  de¬ 
parted  ones,  in  Glenbeg  House,  as  shown  elsewhere. 

A  SPIRIT  ON  SPIRIT  PHOTOGRAPHY 

On  Sunday  evening,  22nd  May,  1910,  at  a  little  pri¬ 
vate  sitting  held  in  our  house,  Mr.  Auld  spoke  about 
the  two  portraits,  which  he  had  received  of  his  good 
lady,  the  one  which  came  on  his  breast,  and  the  other 
and  better — or  at  least  clearer  portrait — which  was 
obtained  in  Los  Angeles. 

Mrs.  Coates,  being  controlled  by  Mr.  Auld’s  wife, 
said  in  reply  to  Mr.  Auld’s  questions: — 

I  wish  to  dispel  sadness  from  your  mind,  John, 
about  myself,  owing  to  the  photograph  which  you 
have  received.  Even  now  I  feel  sad  in  coming  back, 
when  I  think  about  my  last  illness.  There  were  com¬ 
plications  to  make  me  doubly  sad  at  that  time.  I  did 
not  feel  prepared  to  go.  I  had  in  mental  vision  over 
and  over  again  portrayed  the  many  happy  days  we 
would  have  together.  The  change  came  so  soon  and 
so  severely,  I  cannot  honestly  say  that  I  was  either 
willing  or  ready  to  go.  No  wonder  that  I  was  sad.  I 
did  not  look  upon  life  then  as  I  do  now.  Everything 
then  seemed  so  cross-purposed.  I  had  not  the  oppor¬ 
tunity  to  develop  my  own  powers,  or  to  do  you  justice. 
I  always  felt  something  behind  telling  me  that  I 
would  not  be  a  long  liver.  I  had  the  impression  that 
there  was  something  wrong.  When  having  this  photo¬ 
graph — unknown  to  myself — I  was  overcome  with  the 
memories  of  the  past.  The  few  short  years  and  the 
many  troubles  rolled  over  my  mind  again.  I  tried  to 


THREE  PSYCHIC  PHOTOGRAPHS  199 


get  over  it,  but  the  deed  teas  done.  My  face  had  on 
it  the  impression  of  my  last  illness. 

I  certainly  went  to  Los  Angeles  as  you  suggested, 
and  tried  to  influence  the  photographer,  but  when  I 
was  photographed,  1  wish  to  tell  you  that  I  was  not 
aware  of  it  at  the  time  You  cannot  understand  this. 
You  know  as  much  about  photography  as  we  do. 
What  you  have  got,  John,  is  not  me  as  I  am,  but  what 
I  was,  and  ivhat  you  remembered  me  to  be  in  those 
last  days.  I  cannot  explain  it  otherwise.  When  we 
think  what  we  were  like  upon  the  earth,  the  ether 
condenses  around  us  and  encloses  us  like  an  envelope. 
We  are  within  those  ether-like  substances  which  are 
drawn  to  us  and  our  thoughts  of  what  we  were  like 
and  what  we  would  be  better  known  by  produce  not 
only  the  clothing,  but  the  fashioning  of  our  forms 
and  features.  It  is  here  the  spirit-chemists  step  in. 
They  fashion,  according  to  their  ability,  that  ether 
substance  quicker  than  thought,  and  produce  our 
earth  features  so  that  they  may  be  recognised. 

Our  thoughts  produce  our  garments,  the  cut  and 
colouring  of  the  same,  and  the  chemists,  using  their 
own  magnetic  power  over  the  etherialised  matter 
mould  it  so,  and  give  to  it  an  appearance  such  as  we 
were  in  earth  life.  It  is  made  to  look  like  what  we 
were,  and  instantly  after  we  are  photographed,  this 
etherealised  or  materialised  figure  or  face  is  disin¬ 
tegrated.  Many  faces  are  presented  and  photo¬ 
graphed  of  which  we  have  no  idea  until  that  fact  is 
made  known  to  us;  many  forms  are  photographed  of 
which  the  originals  are  not  aware,  but  when  I  was 
photographed  and  coming  into  contact  with  the  me¬ 
dium  at  Los  Angeles,  that  etherialised  matter  was 
attracted  or  clung  to  me,  taking  on  the  features  fash¬ 
ioned  by  my  thoughts,  which  were  by  some  sudden 
impulse  or  mysterious  law,  those  of  my  last  illness 
on  earth.  There  is  a  creative  power  of  thought  which 
is  used  by  all,  although  little  understood,  and  this 
power  is  used  by  us  more  fully  and  determinately 


200  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


than  I  can  explain.  We  are  employing  it  freely  here 
and  using  it  continuously  in  producing  phenomena 
on  earth.  We  are  limited  by  many  things,  and  prin¬ 
cipally  by  the  skepticism,  indifference  and  want  of 
sympathy  of  those  on  earth.  We  are  clothed  in  beau¬ 
tiful  garments  of  many  colours  and  our  garments 
correspond  to  our  spiritual  and  mental  conditions. 
Our  homes  are  fashioned  by  our  thoughts  out  of 
grosser  ethers,  and  many  other  things  out  of  the  finer 
ethers.  But  the  substance  drawn  to  us  (on  the  earth 
plane)  when  we  are  photographed  is  grosser  still  than 
anything  we  have  in  the  spirit  world.  It  is  this  ma¬ 
terial  which  is  used  for  spirit  pictures.  If  you  were 
less  anxious  to  get  a  spirit-photograph — for  anxiety 
is  a  great  hindrance,  too,  John — you  would  be  more 
successful,  for  then  you  would  furnish  better  condi¬ 
tions  both  for  us  and  the  spirit  chemists  to  utilise  the 
thought  forces  and  this  etherialised  matter  therewith 
to  produce  our  pictures.  It  is  when  you  and  we  are 
in  passive  states  that  the  sub-conscious  thought  forces 
are  liberated,  and  when  the  physical  mediums  on 
earth  realise  too  that  mental  passivity  is  as  necessary 
as  moral  and  physical  states  of  health,  then  on  your 
side  we  will  have  better  material  to  work  with.  We 
have  to  economise,  hence  symbols  are  given  to  convey 
important  lessons,  and  faces  instead  of  full  forms. 
And  all  that  which  is  given  is  within  your  own  at¬ 
mosphere  of  thought  and  Toeing.  Maybe  when  the 
spirit  chemists  on  our  side,  and  the  mediums  on  your 
side,  and  the  sitters  on  both  sides,  are  more  united 
and  in  sympathy  it  may  be  possible  to  give  you  pic¬ 
tures  of  ourselves  as  we  are,  but  till  then  you  must 
be  content  to  get  what  you  can,  namely,  the  work  of 
spirit  acting  on  your  sub-conscious  planes  of  thought 
and  on  material  substances,  although  that  in  its  re¬ 
fined  and  etherialised  condition  may  be  considered  by 
you  to  be  spirit  substance.  I  know  that  all  this  is 
difficult  for  you  to  understand,  but  my  photographs 
given  you  should  help  you  to  appreciate  that  in  this 


THREE  PSYCHIC  PHOTOGRAPHS  201 


matter  we  are  governed  by  laws,  and  that  which  is 
given  are  earth  pictures  and  not  of  ourselves  in  the 
life  of  spirit. 


Fig.  46.  Photograph  of  Envelope  and  Contents  with  Psychic 
Picture  of  William  Adolphus  Drummond,  done  by  Mr. 
Wyllie  in  Rothesay. 


Mr.  Auld,  to  whom  this  message  was  given,  con¬ 
sented  to  its  publication,  and  the  two  photographs, 


202  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


one  of  which  is  presented  here,  with  Dr.  ITnnter’s  psy¬ 
chic  picture. 

Alfhougli  somewhat  out  of  chronological  order,  J 
give  another  case  where  articles  photographed  pro¬ 
duced  an  “extra,”  but  the  photograph  was  taken  in 
our  house.  It  is  of  interest  to  note  that  the  first  iden¬ 
tifiable  psychic  portrait  which  was  obtained  through 
Wyllie’s  mediumship  in  Great  Britain,  came  in  this 
fashion. 

Mr.  Oscar  E.  Drummond  called  at  Rothesay  shortly 
after  Mr.  Wyllie’s  arrival  and  asked  me  if  I  thought 
the  medium  could  obtain  the  portrait  of  his  father,  if 
lie  (Mr.  Drummond)  gave  Mr.  Wyllie  some  articles 
to  photograph.  I  said  it  might  be  worth  a  trial.  He 
gave  me  a  letter  from  his  mother  (in  India),  a  pho¬ 
tograph  of  his  father  (deceased),  and  another  of  his 
mother.  These  I  placed  in  a  large  envelope  and  gave 
it  to  Mr.  Wyllie.  That  gentleman  pinned  the  envel¬ 
ope  on  the  back  screen  and  photographed  it.  Upon  the 
plate  being  developed,  there  appeared  on  it,  besides 
the  envelope,  a  man’s  face.  Both  the  negative  and  the 
print  were  shown  (29th  Sept.,  1909)  to  Mr.  Drum¬ 
mond,  who  declared  “It  is  the  head  and  face  of  grand¬ 
father  .  .  .  when  I  return  to  Glasgow,  I  will 

make  an  affidavit  in  support  of  my  statement.  ’  ’ 

In  due  course  I  received  his  attestation,  from  which 
I  take  the  following  extract : — 

I  wish  to  testify  to  the  following  extraordinary 
facts:  I  called  on  Mr.  Coates,  Rothesay,  where  I  had 
several  sittings  with  Mr.  Edward  Wyllie,  medium- 


THREE  PSYCHIC  PHOTOGRAPHS  203 


photographer.  The  first  sitting-  was  from  a  package 
containing  a  letter  from  my  mother,  a  photo  of  my 
father  (deceased),  and  a  photo  of  my  mother,  now 
living.  The  above  were  placed  in  an  envelope  by  Mr. 
Coates,  and  marked  by  Mr.  Wyllie,  No.  3,  and  then 
pinned  on  the  screen.  When  the  plate  was  developed, 
there  appeared  on  it  what  Mr.  Coates  called  a 
“psychic  extra.”  Upon  examination  of  the  print,  T 
found — and  here  certify  my  conscientious  belief  that 
the  same  is — -the  portrait  of  my  grandfather,  the  late 
William  Adolphus  Drummond,  who  died  in  India  in 
1866.  I  knew  him  from  a  photograph  which  was  in 
our  house,  and  from  descriptions  from  my  uncles,  and 
found  a  resemblance  to  my  eldest  uncle,  who  was  his 
living  image.  The  psychic  picture  is  exceedingly 
like  him,  with  this  difference,  grandfather  had  a  beard 
in  the  photo,  and  my  uncle  in  life  was  clean-shaven. 
As  a  family  likeness  the  spirit-portrait  is  remarkable. 
.  .  .  Oscar  Eric  Drummond. 

Keig  Villa,  Bishopbriggs,  Glasgow. 

Sworn  attestation  before,  and  signed  by,  John  Mac¬ 
donald,  J.  P.  for  the  County  and  the  City  of  Glasgow, 
20th  Oct.,  1909*  '  i 

Mr.  Drummond  had  several  sittings  subsequently 
with  Mr.  Wyllie  in  Rothesay  and  in  Glasgow,  and  ob¬ 
tained  several  psychic  pictures,  interesting  enough, 
but  from  the  point  of  identification- — blanks. 

Each  testimony  given  in  this  chapter  has  been  that 
of  sane,  clear-headed  and  sincere  persons,  and  if  not 
corroborated  by  other  evidence,  the  combined  effect 
is  substantial,  as  the  testimonies  interlink.  In  these 
cases  I  know  that  evidence  could  be  given  in  substan- 

*Reprodueed  from  The  Two  Worlds,  Manchester,  in  which 
it  was  originally  published. — I.  C. 


204  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


tiation,  but  is  withheld  because  of  the  fear  of  being 
associated  with  what  might  be  illegitimate — Spirits 
or  Spiritualism.  I  could  fill  a  large  work  with  photo¬ 
graphs  and  the  most  telling  evidence  if  I  would  only 
suppress  the  names  and  addresses  of  those  most  con¬ 
cerned  and  the  witnesses.  I  have  given  the  foregoing 
cases  and  thank  the  writers — who  through  modesty 
shun  publicity— but  in  the  interests  of  truth,  have 
given  me  the  facts  recorded. 

If  some  of  the  good  people  who  had  articles  photo¬ 
graphed  by  Mr.  Wyllie  in  Glenbeg  House,  and  who 
obtained  identifiable  portraits  of  departed  friends,  had 
consented  to  permit  these  to  be  produced,  and  allowed 
the  details,  with  their  names,  to  be  published,  I  could — 
because  the  photographs  would  make  better  blocks — 
have  given  some  striking  eases.  The  foregoing  shows 
Mr.  Wyllie ’s  methods  and  what  we  suppose  he  did 
with  the  locks  of  hair  sent  him  to  Los  Angeles.  That 
a  lock  of  hair,  or  other  article,  should  form  a  nexus 
between  the  owner  of  it  and  (the  photograph  of)  a 
departed  requires  some  thinking  out.  But  those  who 
have  read  my  book,  “Seeing  the  Invisible,”  will  find 
a  possible  clue  to  the  solution. 


CHAPTER  X 


EXPERIMENT  WITH  MR,  WYLLIE 

The  story  of  the  Los  Angeles  photograph  is  very  in¬ 
teresting,  especially  as  that  photograph  has  been  the 
means  of  causing  considerable  discussion  of  a  nature 
which  I  little  anticipated  when  the  facts,  as  I  knew 
them,  were  first  related  by  me. 

I  sent  a  letter  to  Mr.  Wyllie,  with  two  small  locks 
of  hair — one  of  Mrs.  Coates  and  the  other  of  mine — 
With  the  exception  of  our  signatures,  the  letter  and 
the  address  on  the  envelope  were  type-written.  That 
letter  was  dated  and  posted  at  Rothesay,  on  17th 
March,  1909. 

I  did  not  get  a  reply  as  I  expected,  and  on  waiting 
two  months,  I  wrote  again  reminding  Mr.  Wyllie  of 
the  letter  and  its  contents.  His,  of  later  date,  informed 
me  that  he  had  sent  on  “pictures,”  and  that  he  was 
surprised  that  I  had  not  received  them.  Although 
negotiations  were  entered  into  which  subsequently 
brought  Mr.  Wyllie  over  to  Scotland,  nothing  further 
was  heard  by  me  of  the  experiment  till  lie  arrived, 
when  unpacking,  on  24th  September,  1909,  in  our 
house,  his  trunk,  which  held  his  camera,  with  other 
tilings,  he  came  across  a  print  of  the  photograph  which 


205 


206  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


he  took  in  Los  Angeles.  He  seemingly  was  unaware 
that  it  was  there,  and  it  must  have  been  put  there  by  a 
friend  who  did  his  packing.  Of  the  date  of  taking 


Fig.  47.  The  photograph  of  envelope  and  contents  sent  March 
17th,  1909,  to  Los  Angeles,  with  psychic  “extras”  of  an 
old  man;  old  lady;  and  letter  with  initials  “E.  D.  G.,” 
done  hy  Mr.  Wyllie  in  June  or  July  of  that  year. 


EXPERIMENT  WITH  MR.  WYLLIE  207 


this  last  picture  for  me  Mr.  Wyllie  has  no  remem¬ 
brance;  but  he  thinks  he  took  it  in  July,  1909. 

The  print  discloses  the  envelope,  the  date  and  the 
address  of  the  letter,  also  my  name  and  address  printed 
in  the  top  left  hand  corner.  In  addition  to  the  en¬ 
velope  and  letter  which  form  the  subject  of  the  pho¬ 
tograph,  there  appear  as  “extras”  three  (psychically- 
produced)  pictures.  These  are  two  clearly  defined 
heads — a  man’s  and  a  woman’s — and  what  looks  like 
a  letter  with  the  initials  “E.  D.  G.”  written  on  it. 
As  soon  as  Airs.  Coates  examined  this  card  she  at  once 
recognized  the  portrait  of  the  woman  as  that  of  her 
maternal  grandmother,  Airs.  Tweedale,  who  resided 
in  Rothesay  many  years  before  passing  over.  I  did 
not  know  the  old  lady,  hut  her  photograph,  owing  to 
the  death  of  her  son-in-law  (my  father-in-law)  came 
into  our  possession  about  three  years  previously. 
Whatever  has  been  said  about  the  man’s  face,  that  of 
the  old  lady  has  been  fully  identified.  A  critical  ex¬ 
amination  of  the  psychic  portrait  and  the  photograph 
in  our  possession  clearly  demonstrates  two  things: 
First,  that  of  identification ;  and  Second,  that  the 
psychic  extra  is  neither  a  copy  of  the  latter,  nor  of  a 
corresponding  period. 

With  reference  to  the  identification  of  Mrs.  Coates’ 
maternal  grandmother,  I  will  mention,  in  addition  to 
Mrs.  Coates’  opinion,  the  following: — 

Mr.  J.  J.  Morse,  Editor  of  The  Two  Worlds,  Man¬ 
chester,  who  had  the  opportunity  on  29th  September, 
1909,  of  examining  both  the  enlarged  photograph  of 


208  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


the  old  lady,  in  Glenbeg  House,  with  that  of  the  orig¬ 
inal  Los  Angeles  print,  cordially  endorsed  the  fore¬ 
going  statement  in  The  Two  Worlds  of  22nd  October, 
1909. 

As  to  the  two  other  psychic  productions,  viz.,  the 
man ’s  head  and  the  symbol,  with  the  letters  “  E.  D.  G.  ” 
thereon,  the  solution  did  not  come  so  readily,  but  I 
was  impressed  to  send  a  copy  of  the  Los  Angeles  print 
to  Mr.  E.  W.  Wallis,  Editor  of  Light,  with  a  note. 
He  says: — 

In  Light  of  September  25th  we  announced  that  we 
had  received  a. telegram  from  Mr.  Coates  dated  Sep¬ 
tember  22nd,  that  Mr.  Wyllie  had  arrived.  Writing 
three  days  later,  on  September  25th,  Mr.  Coates  says : 

‘I  have  now  a  photograph  lying  on  my  desk  which 
somehow  had  been  mislaid,  and  which  turned  up  when 
Mr.  Wyllie  was  unpacking  yesterday,  and  contains, 
with  two  other  ‘extras’  the  undoubted  likeness  of 
Mrs.  Coates’  grandmother.  You  will  remember  that 
this  came  from  photographing  a  lock  of  hair  in  Los 
Angeles,  and  the  likeness  is  corroborated  by  a  like¬ 
ness  which  we  have  in  the  house.  Of  the  other  ‘ex¬ 
tras’  there  is  a  profile  of  a  man,  older  and  not  un¬ 
like  myself — so  I  am  told — but  who  it  is  I  cannot 
truly  say,  although  the  face  appears  familiar.  The 
other  item  seems  to  be  a  letter  on  which  is  written, 
largely,  the  letters  “E.  D.  G.  ”  The  handwriting  is 
familiar  to  both  of  us,  but  what  they  mean  and  what 
this  symbol  is  w^e  cannot  yet  tell. 

On  receipt  of  the  print  of  the  photograph  referred 
to  above  the  written  initials  reminded  us  of  those  of 
our  esteemed  correspondent  the  late  Mr.  E.  D.  Girdle- 
stone,  whose  letters  appeared  in  Light  for  many 
years,  and  although  we  had  seen  him  but  once  the  face 
on  the  photograph  seemed  to  resemble  his.  Conse- 


EXPERIMENT  WITH  MR.  WYLLIE  209 


quently,  we  communicated  with  Mrs.  Girdlestone,  and 
in  her  reply  that  lady  stated  that  in  the  Autumn  of 
last  year  she  sent  portraits  of  Mr.  Girdlestone  and 
of  herself  to  Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  U.  S.  A. —  in  the 
hope  that  Mr.  Wyllie  would  be  able  to  let  us  have 
some  of  his  spirit  photographs  back.  He  sent  us  a 
photograph  with  the  portraits  of  my  husband  and 
myself  in  the  centre  and  a  lot  of  faces  all  over — but 
neither  he  nor  I  could  in  the  least  recognise  a  single 
one.  ’ 

With  her  letter  Airs.  Girdlestone  kindly  sent  us  a 
print  of  the  photograph  of  Mr.  Girdlestone  that  had 
been  sent  to  Mr.  Wyllie.  On  comparing  this  with  the 
photograph  received  from  Mr.  Coates  we  found  them 
to  be  identical,  save  that  the  face  had  been  reversed, 
and  in  the  Wyllie  photograph  the  left  side  was  ap¬ 
parently  shown.  We  say  ‘apparently’  because  the 
hair  was  exactly  the  same  in  both. 

We  then  sent  the  Wyllie  photograph  to  Mrs.  Girdle¬ 
stone,  who,  when  returning  it,  wrote  as  follows : — 

This  photograph  of  my  husband  is  CERTAINLY 
A  REVERSED  copy  of  the  one  I  sent  to  Mr.  Wyllie 
a  year  ago.  My  husband  never  parted  his  hair  on 
the  right  side  of  his  face,  as  it  appears  here.  The 
signature  “E.  D.  G. ”  is  mine,  and  not  my  husband’s. 
I  signed  all  letters  dictated  by  him  to  me  with  his 
initials;  his  handwriting  is  quite  different.  If  you 
compare  this  photograph  with  the  one  I  sent  you,  you 
will  see  that  it  is  a  poor  copy  of  a  reversed  one;  which 
is  easily  done  by  printing  from  the  glass  side  instead 
of  the  film  side  of  the  negative.  I  am  a  photographer 
of  considerable  experience,  although  only  an  amateur 
and  therefore  know.  Printing  from  the  glass  side 
gives  a  blurred  print. 

The  importance  of  the  facts  stated  by  Mrs.  Girdle¬ 
stone  is  indicated  in  the  following  comment  written 


210  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


by  a  Spiritualist,  who,  like  ourselves,  would  have  been 
greatly  pleased  to  have  a  completely  convincing  photo¬ 
graph.  He  writes : — 

A  photograph  showing  (apparently)  the  left  side 
of  a  head  and  not  showing  the  parting  that  ought  to 
he  there  cannot  be  a  real  photograph  of  a  spirit  form, 
and  it  is  in  every  probability  and  according  to  all 
normal  physical  laws  a  print  from  the  reverse  side  of 
a  negative  showing  the  right  side  of  the  head.  To 
take  such  a  photograph  normally  would  be  impossible. 
It  can  only  be  done  by  the  reversal  of  a  photograph 
previously  taken. 

As  regards  the  initials  “E.  U.  G.,”  which  Mrs. 
Girdlestone  says  are  in  her  handwriting,  Mr.  Coates 
says:  ‘The  initials  to  be  imitated  would  have  to  be 
actually  forged  at  least  eight  times  as  large  as  the 
original  letters  to  appear  as  they  do  in  card  all  out 
of  proportion  with  the  letter  sheet  with  which  they 
appear  to  have  connection.’ 

With  reference  to  the  portrait  of  Mrs.  Coates’ 
grandmother  (on  the  same  plate)  Mr.  Coates  says: — 

‘It  has  been  identified  by  one  of  our  local  magis¬ 
trates  who  knew  her  when  he  was  a  youth  and  re¬ 
members  her  perfectly ;  and  it  is  also  sustained  by  a 
local  photographer — a  thorough  skeptic  as  far  as 
psychic  photography  is  concerned— although  that  is 
no  qualification,  who  compared  the  photos,  the  one 
in  the  house  and  the  ‘psychic  extra,’  and  it  is  his 
opinion  that  while  the  identification  is  complete  there 
are  several  differences,  viz.,  the  photograph  in  the 
house  is  a  finished,  touched-up  photograph  of  later 
date,  and  the  psychic  portrait  of  earlier  date,  as  Mrs. 
Coates  remembers  her,  and  is  not  touched-up  in  any 
way.  He  cannot  account  for  it,  or  for  those  done  in 
the  house.’ 


EXPERIMENT  WITH  MR.  WYLLIE  211 


So  far  for  the  Los  Angeles  photograph  and  the  re¬ 
ception  of  the  matter  by  Light. 

From  the  foregoing  it  will  be  seen  that  Air.  Wyllie 
is — by  suggestion — charged  with  fraudulent  practices. 
The  charge  amounts  to  this,  that  Wyllie,  for  a  paltry 
sum  puts  himself  to  a  great  amount  of  labour  (which 
no  ordinary  photographer  could  possibly  do  for  the 
money)  and  produce  a  photograph  which  would  re¬ 
quire  at  least  the  following  operations: — 

(a)  To  take  a  photograph  of  the  head  of  Mr.  Girdle- 
stone. 

( b )  To  take  a  reduced  photograph  of  the  reversed 
side  of  a  print  of  (a). 

(c)  To  carefully  and  exactly  forge  the  initials 
E.  D.  G.  on  a  blank  sheet  of  paper. 

( d )  To  fold  the  paper  and  take  a  photograph  of  it. 

( e )  To  pin  up  my  letter  and  contents,  as  seen  in  the 
Los  Angeles  photograph,  with  the  forgeries  on  the 
back  screen — or  in  some  other  manner — and  while 
photographing  them  get  the  so  well  attested  genuine 
psychic  photograph  of  the  late  Mrs.  Tweedale. 

Both  the  lady  and  the  Spiritualist  may  be  competent 
amateur  photographers,  but  the  assumption  of  fraud 
makes  one  thing  clear,  that  they  are  not  experts  in 
spirit  photography.  They  do  not  seem  to  know  any¬ 
thing  of  the  history  of  the  subject,  nor  do  they  appear 
to  have  heard  of  the  reproductions,  duplications,  and 
other  efforts  made  by  the  intelligences  in  the  invisible 
to  make  their  power  and  presence  known  to  us.  The 
fact  of  the  recognized  and  fully  identified  spirit  por- 


212  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


trait  of  Mrs.  Tweedale  is  overlooked  by  these  amateur 
experts,  in  their  haste  to  charge  Mr.  Wyllie  with  dis¬ 
honest  practices. 

A  c.areful  examination  of  even  the  copy  of  the  Los 
Angeles  photograph  and  of  the  Girdlestone  head  re¬ 
veals  the  fact  that  although  it  is  that  of  the  reversed 
side  of  the  head,  and  a  very  much  reduced  one  at  that, 
it  is  neither  a  poor  nor  a  blurred  print,  such  as  print¬ 
ing  from  the  glass  side  of  a  negative  would  give.  Dis¬ 
missing  this,  we  have  the  two  facts  so  common  in  spirit 
photography,  two  reproductions,  viz,.,  of  a  head,  and 
of  the  initials  E.  D.  G.,  and  it  is  admitted  at  once 
that  the  pictures  of  material  things  at  present  or  hav¬ 
ing  been  in  existence  are  not  and  cannot  be  photo¬ 
graphs  of  spirits.  That  is,  if  psychic  photographs  of 
departed  persons,  of  themselves,  as  they  appeared  in 
bodily  form  while  on  earth  can  be  called  photographs 
of  spirits.  Letting  that  pass  for  review  elsewhere,  it 
is  agreed  that  these  two  “extras”  are  not  and  cannot 
be  called  spirit  photos.  Does  this  mean  that  they  have 
been  dishonestly  made?  By  no  means.  Even  on  the 
other  charge,  I  have  submitted  both  this  and  similar 
photographs  to  non-spiritualistic,  practical  photog¬ 
raphers,  and  asked  them  if  they  would  produce  me  a 
similar  photograph,  and  they  admitted  that  they  could 
not. 

There  is  another  item  left  out  of  the  calculations  of 
those  in  haste  to  condemn,  rather  than  investigate,  and 
that  is  as  follows : — 

Mrs.  Coates  obtained  a  second  picture  of  her  grand- 


EXPERIMENT  WITH  MR.  WYLLIE  213 


mother  Fig.  48  on  17th  October,  1909.  This  portrait 
is  not  only  larger  but  clearer  than  the  first  received  in 


Fig.  48.  Photograph  of  Mrs.  Coates,  and  t he  psychic  picture 
of  her  Grandmother,  taken  by  Mr.  Ed.  Wyllie,  in  Glen- 
beg  House,  Rothesay. 


the  Los  Angeles  photograph.  When  Mr.  Wyllie  was 
packing  up  his  old  and  favourite  camera,  and  all  his 


214  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


accessories,  prior  to  leaving  for  Glasgow  on  the  day 
mentioned,  Mrs.  Coates  was  suddenly  impressed  to 
ask  for  a  sitting.  She  did  not  like  to  do  this,  as  we 
knew  that  Mr.  Wyllie  was  bnsy  packing.  When  Airs. 
Coates  went  into  the  room  everything  was  packed  up 
save  a  Kodak  camera  and  some  7x5  inch  plates,  sup¬ 
plied  by  Air.  Wm.  Meldrum,  AI.  P.  S.,  chemist,  Victoria 
Street,  Rothesay,  of  which  four  were  put  aside  in  car¬ 
riers,  for  three  visitors  who  were  coming  before  he  left. 
Air.  Wyllie  said  he  had  a  plate  to  spare  and  he  would 
use  that.  My  back  screen  was  wheeled  into  the  room, 
the  Kodak  mounted  and  adjusted  and  the  one  plate 
exposed  on  Airs.  Coates.  When  developed  there  was  an 
“extra”  on  it.  That  “extra”  was  this  other  fresh 
portrait  of  Airs.  Tweedale,  larger,  fuller  and  in  a  dif¬ 
ferent  position  than  in  the  much  discussed  and,  as  we 
have  seen,  much  condemned  Los  Angeles  photograph. 
It  is  well  to  note  the  fact  that  Mr.  Wyllie ’s  special 
camera  and  accessories  were  packed  away ;  his  favour¬ 
ite  black  back  screen  and  the  negatives  of  pictures 
taken  in  Glenbeg  House,  of  which  prints  were  taken, 
were  in  my  possession.  That  he  did  not  even  have 
the  negative  of  the  Los  Angeles  photograph,  that  be¬ 
ing  left  behind  in  America,  and  yet  this  psychic  pic¬ 
ture  of  a  relative  came  in  response  to  Mrs.  Coates’ 
obedience  to  the  sudden  impression  received  by  her  to 
sit  again.  I  merely  state  the  facts  and  truly  think 
they  are  corroborative  of  the  genuineness  of  the  other 
photograph  under  review. 

I  sent  all  letters  received  from  Mr.  AVallis,  with 


EXPERIMENT  WITH  MR.  WYLLIE  215 


marked  copies  of  ’Light,  to  Mr.  Wvllie,  and  obtained 
the  following: — 

30  Corunna  St.,  Glasgow,  W. 

Saturday,  October  23,  1909. 

Dear  Mr.  Coates:  1  gave  the  (Glasgow  Test)  Com¬ 
mittee  another  sitting  this  afternoon.  As  to  the 
Girdlestone  affair,  I  can  only  say  that  if  it  is  he, 
(which  must  be,  as  his  widow  says  so),  she  certainly 
thinks  l  placed  it  there.  So,  Mr.  G.  has  passed  out? 
(I  never  heard  he  had).  It  may  be  a  reproduction. 
I  do  not  know,  for,  as  you  know,  I  have  had  many 
of  them.  Yes.  I  got  the  photos,  as  Mrs.  G.  says, 
but  do  not  remember  it.  I  cannot  really  say  whether 
this  is  a  reproduction  or  not.  1  told  you  of  many 
which  1  had  had.  Yours  faithfully, 

Edward  Wvllie. 

In  the  subsequent  note,  returning  the  prints  which 
Mr.  Wallis  was  good  enough  to  send  me,  Mr.  Wyllie 
says : — 

Sorry  I  omitted  to  post  these  in  my  last.  If  you 
look  at  the  first  photo  you  got  you  will  see  the  head 
is  perfectly  sharp,  instead  of  being  out  of  focus. 

This  is  quite  true,  not  only  in  the  copy  sent  to  Mr. 
Wallis,  but  in  the  first  photograph  the  head  is  sharp 
and  well  defined.  Mr.  Wyllie  did  relate  to  me  some 
instances  of  not  only  reproductions  which  came  under 
peculiar  circumstances,  but  of  other  cases  in  which 
the  double  of  living  persons  were  also  photographed. 
While  I  do  not  say  1  know,  of  either  the  one  or  the 
other  in  his  case,  his  statements  have  been  vouched  for 
by  investigators.  Not  doubting  the  same,  however, 
for  anyone  acquainted  with  the  history  of  this  subject 


216  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


is  quite  familiar  with  these  puzzles.  I  might  also  add 
that  whether  these  “psychic  extras,”  faces,  heads  or 
symbols,  are  faint,  blurred,  clearly  defined  or  unrec¬ 
ognized,  mere  copies  of  prints,  reproductions,  duplica¬ 
tions.  differently  lighted  to  that  of  the  subject,  in  or 
out  of  focus,  or  most  perfectly  definable  pictures  of 
either  the  living  or  the  dead — so-called — has  abso¬ 
lutely  nothing  to  do  with  the  greater  problem  of  gen¬ 
uineness.  All  the  foregoing  have  been  obtained  under 
rigid  test  conditions,  when  there  could  be  no  question 
of  the  genuineness. 

I  sent  Mr.  Blackwell,  among  others,  a  copy  of  the 
Los  Angeles  photograph.  I  knew  he  was  engaged  in 
writing  up  his  experiences  in  spirit  photography,  and 
called  his  attention  to  the  discussion  in  Light,  and  co 
special  articles  in  the  Two  Worlds.  He  went  into  the 
matter  and  sent  a  letter  to  Light,  Nov.  27th,  1909, 
treating  ably  the  whole  from  the  standpoint  of  actual 
experience.  It  was  not  only  an  .explanation,  but  a  tes¬ 
timony  to  Mr.  Edward  Wyllie’s  bona-fides  as  a  me¬ 
dium-photographer. 

In  a  private  letter  dated  25th  Nov.,  1909,  Mr.  Black- 
well  wrote  me  as  follows: — 

I  went  to  Light  Office  to  see  Mr.  Wallis  and  the 
photograph  complained  of.  So  far  from  being  a  poor 
copy  of  a  reversed  one,  it  shows  a  painstaking  en¬ 
deavor  on  the  part  of  the  spirit  to  give  satisfactory 
evidence.  You  will  see  my  defence  of  Mr.  Wyllie 
in  this  week,  but  I  wish  I  had  known  about  that 
splendid  further  bit  of  evidence  of  Mrs.  Coates’ 
grandmother  coming  again  and  claiming  to  be  taken. 


EXPERIMENT  WITH  MR.  WYLLIE 


217 


I  brought  into  my  letter  several  other  matters  I  was 
reserving,  but  as  there  has  been  a  great  deal  of  preju¬ 
dice  and  suspicion,  I  thought  it  would  be  useful  to 
bring  them  forward  now. 


Mr.  A.  K.  Yenning,  writing  from  613  Flower  Street, 
Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  U.  S.  A.,  sent  the  following  to 
Light,  and  it  appeared  in  its  issue  of  25th  December, 
1909 

With  reference  to  Mrs.  Girdlestone’s  statement  in 
your  article  on  experiences  with  Mr.  Wyllie  {Light, 
Nov.  6th)  that  a  reversed  print  from  the  glass  side 
of  a  negative  gives  a  blurred  picture,  may  1  say  that 
among  the  photographs  taken  for  me  by  this  medium 
years  ago,  there  are  three  examples  of ‘reversed  por¬ 
traits;  that  is  to  say,  portraits  of  spirit  friends  who 
came  at  one  sitting,  and  came  in  reversed  position  at 
another,  but  they  are  all  equally  distinct.  These  re¬ 
versed  pictures  are  so  frequent  among  this  medium’s 
photographs  that  they  seem  to  be  purposely  given  for 
some  object.  Is  it  not  reasonable  to  suppose  that  the 
reversing  is  done  on  the  spirit  side — these  portraits 
being  taken  not  from  the  individual  spirit  but  from 
a  thought-form-picture,  or  something  of  that  sort. 
Many  of  the  facts  of  physical  mediumship  go  to  prove 
that  the  operators  on  the  other  side  constantly  make 
use  of  material  objects  in  the  medium’s  surround¬ 
ings  as  aids  in  producing  phenomena. 

I  do  not  know  enough  about  spirit  photography  to 
dogmatise,  but  throw  this  out  as  a  hint  to  those  better 
able  to  judge.  At  the  same  time  it  seems  to  me  that 
those  who  fancy  that  these  reversed  pictures  are  evi¬ 
dence  of  tricky  mediumship  have  not  thought  out  the 
subject. 

Take  this  case  of  Mrs.  Girdlestone’s.  First,  the 
photograph  of  Mr.  Girdlestone  sent  to  Los  Angeles 
would  have  had  to  be  photographed,  then  a  print 


218  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


made  from  the  negative  from  the  glass  side,  this  again 
photographed  on  to  the  plate  after,  presumably,  be¬ 
ing  worked  up  and  clearly  defined  in  some  manner. 
All  this  work  and  waste  of  time  the  supposed  medium 
undertakes  at  considerable  loss  to  himself,  all  for  the 
sake  of  what?  To  play  the  fool  and  impose  on  the 
public  for  a  joke ! 

Is  not  all  this  very  absurd,  impracticable,  hyper¬ 
critical  and  far  fetched?  No  one  could  carry  on  such 
a  tricky  business  for  a  couple  of  weeks  without  being 
caught  and  exposed.- — Yours,  &c., 

A.  K.  Yenning. 

Suppose  we  admit  that  the  conclusions  of  our  skep¬ 
tical  friends  are  correct,  then  it  must  b.e  conceded  that 
Wyllie  is  not  only  an  imposter,  but  an  idiot  as  well 
to  waste  all  this  time  and  energy  for  50c.  in  produc¬ 
ing  this  Los  Angeles  photograph ;  a  conclusion  at 
which  any  practical  photographer  would  laugh. 

Acting  from  a  thorough  study  of  my  subject  on  the 
view  which  I  was  led  to  accept,  “that  while  it  is  not 
judicious  to  conclude  that  all  these  spirit- (produced) 
photographs  are  the  photographs  of  spirits,  it  is  a 
greater  folly  still  to  accept  fraud  as  the  first  and  only 
hypothesis  to  account  for  the  appearance  of  these  ‘ex¬ 
tras’  beside  the  subject  on  the  plate.”  I  thought  it 
best  to  wait,  and  see  what  further  light  might  yet  be 
obtained  on  the  vexed  subject  of  the  head  of  E.  D. 
Girdlestone,  which  appears  in  the  Los  Angeles  pho¬ 
tograph. 

Early  in  February,  1910,  I  wrote  to  the  Ven.  Arch¬ 
deacon  T.  Colley,  Rector  of  Stockton,  Rugby.  On  the 
12th  of  that  month  I  received  a  very  interesting  reply, 


EXPERIMENT  WITH  MR.  WYLLIE  219 


with  copies  of  the  spirit  photographs  of  his  father  and 
mother.  In  reply,  I  sent  the  Ven.  gentleman,  among 
other  things,  a  few  copies  of  spirit  photographs,  in¬ 
cluding  the  Los  Angeles  photograph.  His  acknowledg¬ 
ment  contained  elements  of  surprise;  namely,  that  he 
himself,  under  totally  different  conditions  obtained  a 
head  of  identical  character.  I  now  append  the  portion 
of  his  letter  which  refers  to  the  matter: — 

Stockton  Rectory,  Rugby, 

Feb.  15,  1910. 

Dear  Dr.  Coates :  Thank  you  very  much  for  spirit 
photographs,  with  letter.  .  .  .  Most  of  my  plates, 

pictures  and  writing,  have  never  been  exposed  in 
camera;  therefore  I  term  them  Psychographs  and  not 
photographs,  since  Phos,  as  we  understand  it,  does 
not  play  any  part  in  the  matter. 

I  want  you  to  give  me,  as  soon  as  possible ,  ALL 
the  information  about  the  face  above  the  envelope — 
Girdlestone.  For  I  have  the  same  face,  which  came 
as  a  psychographic  production  at  my  Leamington 
Hall  Parlour,  with  friends,  with  a  Welsh  County  J. 
P.  on  a  visit.  I  also  have  heard  of  his  coming  for 
another  friend  in  London — just  in  the  same  way  as 
my  long-ago  friend,  Mr.  Thomas  Everitt,  came  for 
my  friend  Glendinning,  in  spirit  photograph,  even  in 
Ihe  very  same  pose  and  look  that  he  afterwards  came 
to  me  in,  in  my  own  psychograph  cluster  of  about 
sixteen  other  faces,  including  the  faces  of  my  father 
and  mother  again,  as  in  the  spirit  photograph  of  which 
you  have  the  photo  engraving. 

We  are  in  very  deep  waters  aground,  however,  as 
yet  as  to  these  replicas. 

Please  tell  me  all  you  can  of  the  face  of  Mr. 
Girdlestone,  and  the  letter,  and  whose  hair  was  in 
the  envelope;  when  and  where  it  was  taken,  and  if 
through  camera,  and  all  you  know  of  him — for  one 


220  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


of  my  closest  friends  at  Oxford  was  a  Girdlestone.  I 
should  like  to  know  all  about  the  matter,  on  which 
for  the  world — in  this  particular  case — perhaps  next 
to  my  father  and  mother  bring  the  most  conclusive 
evidence  that  will  arrest  public  attention. 

Believe  me,  faithfully  yours,  T.  Colley. 

In  reply  to  this  letter,  I  sent  in  brief  the  informa¬ 
tion  contained  in  the  foregoing  pages.  I,  however, 
did  not  know  at  the  time  the  following  facts,  viz. : — 

That  Mr.  E.  D.  Girdlestone  had  passed  away  at 
Sutton,  Coldfield,  in  February,  1909.  My  letter  was 
sent  to  Los  Angeles  on  17th  March,  1909 ;  the  print 
which  I  received  was  done  in  June  or  July  of  that 
year.  It  was  not  a  photograph  taken  in  Glenbeg 
House — as  assumed  by  Mr.  Venning— but  given  to  me 
by  Mr.  Wyllie  on  the  day  when  he  unpacked  his  trunk, 
which  arrived  23rd  September,  1909.  A  copy  of  this 
photo  was  made  in  Glenbeg  House.  It  was  forwarded 
to  Mr.  Wallis  as  soon  as  I  could  thereafter.  There  is 
a  coincidence  here  which  I  was  not  aware  of  till  now. 
1  could  not  have  informed  Mr.  Wyllie  when  he  asked 
about  Mr.  Girdlestone.  It  is  clear,  then,  that  the  psy¬ 
chic  picture  of  this  gentleman  ivas  taken  subsequent 
to  his  death. 

Subsequent  correspondence  with  the  Ven.  Archdea¬ 
con  Colley,  brought  to  light  the  following  facts  re¬ 
vealed  by  Mr.  W.  T.  Stead,  in  his  pamphlet,  “How 
I  Know  the  Dead  Return,”  pp.  14-17.  Although  the 
name  of  the  titled  lady  is  suppressed,  and  the  name 
of  the  medium  too,  through  whom  another  psychic 


EXPERIMENT  WITH  MR,  WYLLIE  221 


photograph  of  the  Rev.  E.  D.  Girdlestone  was  ob¬ 
tained.  I  condense  the  long  and  interesting  statement 
made  there  by  Mr.  Stead,  and  it  amounts  to  this : — 

A  Society  lady  well  known  in  literary  and  scien¬ 
tific  circles  lost  an  esteemed  friend.  She  went  to 
London,  having  been  advised  to  go  to  Mr.  Williams, 
an  old  medium,  for  materialisations.  At  a  circle  held 
in  the  latter’s  house,  she  suddenly  heard  herself 
called  by  a  familiar  name,  and  was  informed  that 
she  was  wearing  a  watch  in  her  breast  which  once 
belonged  to  the  owner  of  that  voice.  There  was  much 
more,  but  as  it  has  nothing  to  do  with  photography, 
I  refrain  from  further  reference,  except  to  say  that 
this  lady’s  heart  was  greatly  comforted.  By  direc¬ 
tion,  she  went  to  a  septuagenarian  photographer  (the 
late  Mr.  Boursnell,  London),  being  careful  not  to 
announce  her  name.  Poor  old  Boursnell  thought  she 
was  a  duchess,  lie  afterwards  told  Mr.  Stead.  The 
old  man  described  a  spirit  invisible  in  her  surround¬ 
ings,  but  who  came  in  with  her.  The  lady  inquired 
if  a  spirit  photograph  could  be  obtained.  Mr.  B. 
could  not  tell ;  he  would  try.  To  her  intense  surprise, 
the  photoplate  showed  the  beloved  features  of  this 
friend,  whom  she  never  hoped  to  see  this  side  of  the 
grave. 

Upon  learning  from  Archdeacon  Colley  that  this 
special  photograph  was  no  other  than  that  of  E.  D.  G., 
T  wrote  Mr.  Stead  for  a  copy  and  particulars.  This 
he  could  not  give,  as  the  lady  had  ordered  the  negative 
to  be  broken  and  had  forbidden  the  mention  of  her 
name  and  further  publicity.  But  this  being  not  an 
unusual  experience,  that  not  only  are  the  evidences  of 
these  genuine  psychic  photographs  suppressed,  but 
the  names  of  the  mediums  (through  whom  the  genuine 


222  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


evidence  has  come)  are  suppressed  too,  I  was  not  sur¬ 
prised. 

On  25th  June,  1910,  I  received  a  long  account  from 
Archdeacon  Colley,  from  which  I  take  the  following: — • 

Stockton  Rectory,  Rugby, 

June  24,  1910. 

Dear  Sir:  ...  In  Warwickshire  we  have  a 
mystery  surpassing  even  the  case  related  by  Mr. 
Stead,  and  a  tilting  conclusion  to  the  facts  which  you 
have  presented  of  the  Los  Angeles  photograph— a 
mystery  touching  all  human  knowledge,  yet  beyond 
us  to  fathom,  pertaining  as  it  does  to  happenings  in 
Warwickshire  about  the  same  time  occult  events  were 
taking  place  at  Los  Angeles  on  the  Pacific,  so  many 
thousand  miles  west  of  Leamington. 

The  Rev.  E.  D.  Girdlestone,  known  in  earth  life  to 
the  writer  of  these  perplexing  facts,  from  his  resi¬ 
dence  in  the  Brighter  and  Better  Beyond,  had  his 
spirit  face  impressed  on  a  photo-plate  in  a  camera 
of  one  there  to  whom  he  had  acted  as  Army  tutor 
years  ago,  while  the  elder  brother  of  E.  D.  G.,  the 
Rev.  A.  G.  Girdlestone,  who  had  predeceased  his 
brother  by  two  months,  was,  in  1868,  my  tutor  at 
Oxford,  when  I  was  reading  for  Holy  Orders.  Last 
year,  viz.,  July  9,  1909,  the  same  face  of  E.  D.  G. 
came  on  a  photo-plate  (no  camera  used)  held  in  the 
hands  of  eight  members  of  a  devotional  circle  of 
psychical  researchers,  held  in  my  residence,  at  Leam¬ 
ington. 

The  lady  of  whom  Mr.  Stead  speaks,  and  others, 
recognise  the  face  which,  on  or  about  the  same  period, 
— under  wholly  different  circumstances  and  in  dis¬ 
tinct  hemispheres — came  on  the  plates,  as  the  face  of 
the  Rev.  E.  D.  Girdlestone,  of  whose  departure  from 
this  life  Sir  Oliver  Lodge  so  regretfully  wrote  in 
Light ,  March  6,  1909.  The  Warwickshire  worthy, 
with  impressive  scholarly  look,  was  last  seen  in  the 


EXPERIMENT  WITH  MR.  WYLLIE  223 


repose  of  death  at  Sutton  Coldfield,  March  1st.  His 
concurrent  return,  therefore,  to  show  himself  at 
Leamington  and  Los  Angeles  gives  us  furiously  to 
think  of  all  the  perplexities  involved  and  of  the  facts 
so  puzzling. 

But  as  the  sacred  Scriptures  say,  ‘It  is  the  glory 
of  God  to  conceal  a  matter,  and  the  honour  of  kings 
to  search  it  out.’  The  kingly-minded  will  patiently 
try  to  do  so  in  these  and  many  other  instances  re¬ 
corded  of  occurrences  parallel  touching  psychology 
and  spirit  photography.  .  .  . 

Truly  yours,  T.  Colley. 

I  had  several  other  letters  from  the  venerable  gen¬ 
tleman  confirmatory  of  the  above,  as  well  as  nine  cases 
for  this  book. 

1  now  close  this  chapter  of  interesting  testimony 
with  what  1  esteem  good  evidence  of  spirit  direction 
in  these  phenomena. 

1st.  We  were  influenced  to  interest  ourselves  in 
S  p  i  rit  1  ’  hotogra  p  by. 

2nd.  Led  to  write  to  Mr.  Wyllie,  and  ultimately  to 
get  him  over  to  this  country  from  Los  Angeles,  Cal., 
U.  S.  A. 

3rd.  On  photograph  received  there  were  two  “ex¬ 
tras”  in  addition  to  visible  articles  photographed. 
These  were  the  portraits  of  the  late  E.  D.  G.,  and  Mrs. 
Coates’  long-departed  relative. 

4th.  It  has  been  ascertained  that  the  Rev.  gentle¬ 
man  departed  this  life  March  1st,  1909.  We  wrote  to 
Wyllie  on  the  17th  of  the  same  month.  There  had 
been  delays.  This  particular  photograph  was  taken 
somewhere  in  the  early  days  of  July,  in  Los  Angeles. 


224  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


5th.  In  the  Stead  account,  noticed,  E.  D.  G.  ap¬ 
peared  to  clairvoyants ;  spoke,  was  seen  and  felt  at  a 
materializing  seance  in  London;  was  again  seen  and 
photographed  by  Boursnell.  As  Mr.  Stead  says: — 

There  was  no  doubt  as  to  the  resemblance.  It  was 
he  and  no  one  else  than  he,  yet  he  had  not  been  in 
tbe  spirit  world  a  week  when  he  returned  and  was 
photographed  in  the  way  I  have  described. 

6th.  On  9th  July  in  the  same  year,  the  Rev.  E.  D. 
Girdlestone  was  psychographed  in  Leamington,  about 
the  same  period,  if  not  on  the  same  day  on  which  he 
was  photographed  in  Los  Angeles. 

7th.  The  photographs  and  the  psychographs  have 
appealed  to  and  been  recognized  by  tbe  titled  lady 
referred  to.  by  Mr.  Stead  and  by  Archdeacon  Colley, 
whose  statements  are  emphatic  and  circumstantial. 

8th.  While  none  of  these  circumstances  were  known 
to  me,  I  was  influenced  almost  on  the  receipt  of  the 
Los  Angeles  photograph,  to  write  to  the  Editor  of 
Light,  and  later  on  to  Archdeacon  Colley,  when  the 
matters  discussed  in  this  story  came  to  light.  The  de¬ 
sign  or  coincidence — call  it  what  you  please — was 
most  remarkable. 

9th.  E.  D.  G.  appears  several  times  and  is  photo¬ 
graphed  in  three  different  places — Los  Angeles,  Cal., 
Leamington,  Eng.,  London,  Eng. — by  persons  miles 
apart  anil  wholly  unknown  to  each  other,  and  by  dif¬ 
ferent  means. 

10th.  Mrs.  Coates’  grandmother,  whose  picture  is 
given  on  the  Los  Angeles  photograph,  is  taken  again 


EXPERIMENT  WITH  MR.  WYLLIE  225 


in  Rothesay  when  Mrs.  Coates  obeyed  the  impulse  or 
impression  to  be  photographed. 

From  the  foregoing  and  other  considerations,  I 
conclude  that  the  evidence  is  remarkable.  I  also  as¬ 
sume  that  the  Unseen  Intelligences — some  of  them  our 
friends  and  relatives — have  some  higher  aim  in  all 
these  efforts,  than  merely  to  console  or  gratify  those 
to  whom  these  phenomena  come. 


CHAPTER  XI 


EXPERIMENT  WITH  MR.  WYLLIE : 
CONTINUED 

I  thought  I  could  not  do  better  than  produce  this 
photograph  (Fig.  49)  as  an  introduction  to  my  per¬ 
sonal  experience  with  Mr.  Wyllie.  The  negative  men¬ 
tioned  was  found  in  a  house  where  Mr.  AVyllie  had 
been,  and  the  hasty  deduction  is,  that  the  medium- 
photographer  employed  it  and  similar  plates  to  put 
“Spirits”  on  his  patron’s  photographs.  This  is  Mr. 
Jensen’s  charge.  The  next  charge  was  one  by  a  Dr. 
Woillard,  who  said  he  paid  Mr.  AVyllie  to  be  taught 
how  to  take  “spirit  pictures.”  This  gentleman  de¬ 
clared  lie  had  discovered  the  trick,  viz.,  that  Mr. 
AVyllie  put  the  “spirits”  on  the  plates  by  “magnetis¬ 
ing,”  i.  e.,  holding  in  the  hollow  of  his  arched  hand  a 
photo  prepared  with  luminous  paint  over  plate  in  dark 
room,  prior  to  exposure.  He  had  found  two  such  min¬ 
iatures  prepared  with  Indian  ink  and  luminous  paint, 
and — Wyllie  confessed  that  was  how  the  thing  was 
done. 

Air.  P.  A.  Jensen  had  a  notoriety  to  sustain  as  a 
modem  witch  finder.  According  to  his  own  state¬ 
ments  about  his  friendship  ( ?)  for  Air.  Wyllie,  and 

226 


EXPERIMENT  WITH  MR.  WYLLIE 


221 


Fig;.  49.  Photograph  from  the  Negative  upon  which  a  Mr. 
P.  A.  Jensen  Founded  his  Charges  against  Mr.  Wyllie’s 
bona-fides  in  The  Progressive  Thinker. 


228  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


his  general  tactics,  lie  must  have  possessed  all  the 
virtues  of  the  detective  sleuthhound  of  the  Dime 
novel.  He  appears  not  only  ignorant  of  the  most  ele¬ 
mentary  facts  in  photography,  but  of  psychic  photo¬ 
graphy.  Apparently  he  has  never  heard  of  a  ease 
where  the  subject  stood  alongside  of  the  back  screen, 
instead  of  sitting  before  the  camera. 

In  the  case  reported  in  Borderland  (pp.  269-70, 
Vol.  IV.)  by  Mr.  J.  Wade  Cunningham,  327  South 
Spring  Street,  Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  Mr.  Wyllie  obtained 
the  psychic  picture  of  a  beautiful  lady  and  that  of  a 
living  but  invisible  dog.  A  very  remarkable,  but  by 
no  means  an  isolated  case,  where  the  subject  did  not 
sit  before  the  camera. 

There  are  well  authenticated  cases  where  the  living 
subject  could  not  be  photographed.  This  has  occurred 
with  hypnotised  subjects.  Indeed,  I  have  recently 
had  the  facts  presented  to  me  by  Mr.  Bailey,  of  Bir¬ 
mingham,  where  he  failed  to  photograph  Dr.  Hooper 
when  the  latter  was  in  a  semi-trance  state.  The  tes¬ 
timony  in  this  case  was  most  conclusive.  Sir  William 
Crookes,  F.  R.  S.,  was  greatly  interested  in  the  facts, 
which  were  presented  to  him  by  my  esteemed  corres¬ 
pondent  the  Ven.  Archdeacon  Colley. 

This  Mr.  P.  A.  Jensen  has  not  been  able  to  produce 
a  single  case  where  the  foregoing  negative  has  been 
used  to  produce  by  double  printing  “spirits”  on  the 
photograph  of  any  living  person.  His  repeated 
charges  have  been  widely  read  in  the  States  and  in 


EXPERIMENT  WITH  MR.  WYLLIE  229 


Great  Britain,  but  they  remain  until  to-day  unsub¬ 
stantiated. 

The  merest  tyro  in  photography  knows  that  Dr. 
Woillard’s  statements  are  not  true.  But  there  are 
many  persons  including  “experts,”  who  will  readily 
believe  piffle  of  this  kind. 

Having  been  kindly  tutored  by  the  Press  and  cor¬ 
respondents  as  to  what  to  expect  from  Mr.  Wyllie 
before  he  arrived,  I  took  heed  to  my  ways  and  experi¬ 
mented  accordingly  to  discover  the  truth  for  truth’s 
sake. 

Mr.  Wyllie  arrived  with  two  cameras,  a  few  printing 
frames,  other  accessories,  but  no  portrait  negative 
(except  one  of  his  brother  taken  in  Newark,  N.  J.,  be¬ 
fore  leaving  the  U.  S.  A.)  on  22nd  September,  1909, 
and  on  the  25th  of  that  month  took  his  first  photo¬ 
graphs  in  our  house.  His  “gallery”  was  our  drawing¬ 
room  ;  the  plates  used  and  the  back  screen  were  mine — - 
the  dark-room  being  our  bathroom,  fitted  up  for  the 
purpose.  Two  plates  out  of  a  new  box  were  exposed 
as  follows.  Mrs.  Coates  was  the  first  subject.  On  de¬ 
velopment  there  was  nothing  on  the  negative  save 
herself.  Jennie  Mathewson,  our  maid,  was  the  next 
experimented  on,  the  second  plate  being  exposed  on 
her.  Upon  development,  there  appeared  as  “extras” 
the  clearly  defined  face  of  a  woman  at  her  left  side 
and  a  very  young  infant,  dressed,  lying  across  her 
lap.  This  was  the  first  psychic  picture  obtained  by 
Mr.  Wyllie  after  his  arrival  in  Rothesay,  and  in  this 
country.  I  do  not  produce  the  photograph  owing  to 


230  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


the  indecision  of  her  relatives  about  the  female  por¬ 
trait.  As  to  the  baby.  Jennie’s  mother  lost  a  similar 


Fig.  50.  Photograph  of  the  Author,  with  Psychic  “Extra” 
said  to  be  that  of  the  late  Mr.  John  Adamson,  of  Messrs. 
Adamson  &  Son.  Expert  Naval  and  Portrait  Photograph¬ 
ers,  Rothesay. 

little  one,  but  identification  is  not  possible.  This  was 
11k;  beginning  of  a  successful  series.  I  do  not  propose 


EXPERIMENT  WITH  M R.  WYLLIE  231 


to  give  the  details  of  all  the  photographs  taken.  Many 
of  the  best  psychic  photographs  were  not  definitely 
identified;  many  were ,  but  owing  to  the  dread  of  pub¬ 
licity,  the  subjects  declined  to  permit  the  use  of  their 
names  and  addresses.  The  following  selection  will 
suffice : — 

The  photograph  (Fig.  50)  was  taken  on  1st  Oct. 
11)09.  The  plate  came  out  of  a  new  box,  was  marked 
X  before,  and  developed  by  me  after,  exposure.  Mr. 
Wyllie  simply  took  the  cap  off  the  lens. 

At  a  seance  held  the  previous  evening  Mr.  Wyllie — 
who  sometimes  appeared  to  be  clairvoyant,  described 
a  man  who  was  present  (invisible  to  us)"  making 
special  note  of  his  peculiar  cap  or  headdress.  In  the 
negative  I  noted  the  peculiarity,  but  it  was  not  till  I 
saw  the  print  that  the  likeness  to  the  late  Mr.  John 
Adamson  was  detected  by  Mrs.  Coates  and  myself. 
Many  of  those  I  have  shown  it  to  said  it  was  Mr.  Ad¬ 
amson.  Mr.  Whiteford,  photographer,  who  was  for 
many  years  in  his  employment,  told  me  he  was  not 
sure,  but  it  certainly  was  very  like  him.  Mr.  Robert¬ 
son,  of  Glasgow,  said  “That’s  Adamson  and  a  splendid 
likeness,  too.’’  Further  than  knowing  and  doing  busi¬ 
ness  with  Mr.  Adamson,  I  had  no  special  interest  in 
him.  Why  I  obtained  this  “extra”  I  do  not  know 
except  that  the  bulk  of  the  “furniture”  used  by  Mr. 
Wyllie  was  originally  Mr.  Adamson’s.  I  do  not  posi¬ 
tively  insist  that  this  is  his  portrait,  but  I  do  that  this 
photograph  was  taken  under  perfectly  satisfactory 


232  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


conditions  which  would  satisfy  anyone — except  an  ex¬ 
pert. 


Fig.  51.  Photograph  of  Mrs.  Coates  and  the  Psychic  Portrait 
of  her  Aunt,  the  late  Miss  Isabella  Tweedale. 

The  photograph  (Fig.  51)  was  taken  by  Mr.  Wyllie 
on  3rd  October,  1909.  Mrs.  Coates  on  seeing  the  print 


EXPERIMENT  WITH  MR,  WYLLIE  233 


a  few  days  afterwards  immediately  identified  it  as 
that  of  her  Aunt  Bella,  viz.,  Miss  Isabella  Tweedle. 


Fig.  52.  Photograph  of  Mr.  John  Auld  and  the  Psychic  Por¬ 
trait  of  the  late  Airs.  Auld  with  Roses. 


The  photograph  (Fig.  52)  was  obtained  on  4th  Oe- 
tober,  1909,  and  the  face  is  a  duplication  of  the  one 


234  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


on  the  Los  Angeles  Photograph  of  Madame  Pogosky, 
mentioned  in  a  previous  chapter.  The  rose  and  bud 


Fig.  53.  Photograph  of  Mrs.  Coates  and  her  daughter  Agnes, 
with  Lilies. 


are  specially  significant  to  us.  At  a  sitting  held  in 
our  house  three  years  previously  to  Mr.  Wyllie’s  ar- 


EXPERIMENT  WITH  MR.  WYLLIE  235 


rival,  Mrs.  Coates,  under  the  control  of  “White  Rose,” 
Mr.  Auld’s  daughter— who  passed  over  shortly  after 
birth — promised  among  other  things,  that  we  would 
have  a  photographer  in  Rothesay  in  three  years  from 
then,  and  she  would  give  her  father  a  photograph  of 
herself.  Mr.  Auld  asked  her  how  would  he  know  her? 
She  said  she  would  come  with  roses,  as  a  symbol  of  her 
spirit  name.  The  matter  was  overlooked  till  we  saw 
this  print.  There  was,  however,  no  portrait  of  Rosie, 
but  with  her  mother  came  this  large  rose  and  bud, 
symbolical  of  mother  and  child. 

This  photograph  was  obtained  on  the  same  day  as 
Mr.  Auld  sat  for  the  photograph  on  which  the  roses 
came.  Now  it  happened  on  the  same  evening,  when 
Mr.  Auld  got  the  promise  about  the  roses,  that  Mrs. 
Coates  in  trance,  under  the  control  of  her  daughter 
Agnes,  said  ‘  ‘  I  am  coming  too.  ’  ’  Mr.  Auld  said,  ‘  ‘  How 
can  your  mother  know  you,  having  passed  over  in 
childhood?”  She  said,  “Oh,  yes,  she  will  know  me. 
I  will  come  with  wdiite  lilies,  symbolical  of  my  spirit 
name,  White  Lily.”  The  photograph  given  presents 
her,  w'e  are  told,  as  she  would  have  been  at  the  age 
of  38.  Whether  so  or  not  no  one  can  tell.  I  relate 
the  matter  as  it  occurred. 

I  consider  it  worthy  of  note  that  Mr.  Auld,  Mrs. 
Coates  and  I  had  forgotten  all  about  the  promise  of  a 
spirit  photographer  coming  to  Rothesay,  and  the  prom¬ 
ise  of  the  departed  ones  to  be  photographed  through 
his  mediumship,  till  we  saw  the  prints.  Then,  sud¬ 
denly  impressed,  we  realised  here  was  the  fulfilment 


236  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


of  the  promises  in  a  most  remarkable  manner.  Mrs. 
Coates,  on  seeing  the  photographs  said,  “Our  spirit 
friends  are  far  more  in  earnest  than  we  are ;  they  en¬ 
deavour  to  keep  their  promises,  and  that  under  great 
difficulties,  when  we  carelessly  forget  they  ever  made 
them,  till  the  fact  of  fulfilment  brings  conviction 
home.” 

The  foregoing  certainly  does  suggest  the  work  of 
Intelligences  in  the  Invisible. 

Ilazelcliffe,  Rothesay. 

Mr.  John  Auld’s  Certificate 

On  Sunday  evening  the  7th  May,  1911,  I  read  the 
foregoing  brief  descriptions  and  certify  that  the  same 
are  correctly  stated. 

John  Auld. 

The  Testimony  of  Mr.  T.  T.  Morse 

Mr.  Wyllie  knew  nothing  of  Mr.  Morse’s  visit  until 
he  arrived  at  Glenbeg  House  (29th  Sept.  1909).  At 
the  time  had  been  taken  up  with  interview  and  dinner, 
and  as  the  day  was  dull  and  unsuitable,  the  taking  of 
the  photograph  was  an  afterthought.  There  was  only 
one  plate  exposed  and  this  was  developed  by  the 
writer  after  Mr.  Morse  had  left. 

From  the  Editor’s  full  account  in  The  Two  Worlds, 
29th  Oct.,  1909,  I  take  the  following: — 

On  the  previous  Sunday  we  filled  an  engagement 
with  the  Glasgow  Association  of  Spiritualists,  and 
being  in  Scotland,  availed  ourselves  of  the  oppor¬ 
tunity  of  visiting  Mr.  Coates  at  his  residence  in 


EXPERIMENT  WITH  MR.  WYLLIE  237 


Rothesay  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  a  personal  in¬ 
terview  with  Mr.  Wyllie,  who  was  then  the  guest  of 


Fig.  54.  The  Photograph  of  Mr.  J.  J.  Morse,  Editor  of  The 
Two  Worlds;  and  Psychic  Picture  of  Miss  Florence 
Morse’s  Guide,  “My  Friend.” 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Coates.  We  found  Mr.  Wyllie  to  be  a 
modest  and  retiring  gentleman,  quite  devoid  of  any 


238  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


sort  of  assumption.  He  replied  to  all  our  questions 
with  the  utmost  frankness,  and  manifested  an  evident 
sincerity  in  all  he  said,  either  in  response  to  our 
questions  or  when  making  any  voluntary  remark.  In 
brief,  he  impressed  us,  after  a  two  hours’  chat,  as  he 
has  all  who  have  met  him,  as  a  straightforward  man. 
We  examined  his  camera.  .  .  .  The  sitting  took 

place  in  Mr.  Coates’  drawing-room,  and  he,  Mr. 
Wyllie,  and  ourselves  were  the  only  visible  persons 
present. 

The  cap  of  the  lens  was  removed  and  replaced  in 
the  ordinary  way,  and  the  sitting  ended.  The  “slide” 
was  then  taken  into  the  bathroom,  which  was  the  im¬ 
provised  dark-room.  We  were  impressed  with  a  de¬ 
sire  to  examine  the  “slide,”  which  we  did  and  all  it 
contained  was  the  plate.  There  was  absolutely  noth¬ 
ing  else,  no  trick  appliance,  extra  plate  or  anything 
else.  AVe  awaited  the  receipt  of  a  print,  which 
leached  us  after  our  return  to  Manchester.  On  in¬ 
specting  the  print,  we  found  our  portrait  was  there, 
and  on  the  left  hand  side  of  the  print  was  the  psychic 
extra — a  marvellously  clear  and  well  defined  face  of 
a  man.  The  face  was  unknown  to  us.  AVe  knew  of 
no  spirit  friend  whose  description  would  in  any  way 
fit  the  face  before  us,  when  suddenly  the  impression 
came,  “Take  it  home,  it  will  be  recognised.”  We  did 
so  and  submitted  it  to  Miss  Morse,  who  remarked, 
“Yes,  I  know  it;  it  is  ‘My  Friend,’  and  it  is  exactly 
as  I  have  seen  him  many  times.” 

I  may  explain  that  “My  Friend”  is  one  of  Miss 
Morse’s  guides,  who  has  been  intimately  associated 
with  her  for  a  number  of  years.  She  wished  to  make 
assurance  doubly  sure  and  said,  ‘Won  are  going  to 
London  next  week ;  take  the  picture  with  you,  and 
show  it  to  Air.  Vango.  He  has  seen  him  elairvoyantly 
at  various  times.  Do  not  say  anything  to  him  but 
see  if  he  recognises  it.”  We  did  as  suggested,  when 
Mr.  Vango  at  once  repeated  almost  the  same  remark 
as  Miss  Morse  made,  i.  e.,  “Yes,  I  know  the  face.” 


EXPERIMENT  WITH  MR.  WYLLIE  239 


Then  later,  he  remarked,  “Yes,  I  have  it,  it  is  Flor- 
rie’s  ‘Friend,’  and  a  good  likeness  too.”  We  do  not 
know  the  name  of  this  spirit  who  simply  describes 
himself  to  Miss  Morse  as  “Your  Friend.” 

For  several  reasons  we  consider  this  a  far  better 
piece  of  evidence  of  Mr.  Wyllie’s  bona  fides  than  if 
the  picture  had  been  someone  whom  we  personally 
knew.  Mind  and  thought  transference  are  out  of 
court  for,  apart  from  our  not  desiring  anyone  in 
particular,  the  portrait  is  of  someone  of  whom  we 
absolutely  knew  nothing  as  to  appearance.  The  in¬ 
terested  party,  Miss  Morse,  was  250  miles  away  at 
least,  and  did  not  know  on  what  day  we  intended 
visiting  Mr.  Wyllie,  so,  no  “waves”  could  have 
reached  Rothesay  from  her.  The  above  is  a  simple 
narrative  of  the  facts  in  the  case  and  the  picture  can 
be  seen  at  this  office. 

Mrs.  Coates’  daughter,  Mrs.  Hector,  having  heard 
that  Mr.  Wyllie  was  with  us,  paid  on  the  8th  Oct., 
1909,  a  flying  visit  to  Rothesay,  and  decided  suddenly 
to  sit  for  a  photograph.  It  was  taken  in  the  usual 
way — one  plate  mine — and  a  single  exposure.  When 
it  was  developed  by  me  there  was  an  “extra 
of  a  little  girl  on  it  in  addition  to  the  subject.  Upon 
examining  the  print,  they  had  reason  to  conclude  it 
was  the  psychic  picture  of  Mrs.  Coates’  eldest  daugh¬ 
ter  (Mrs.  Hector’s  sister  Agnes),  who  had  passed  away 
at  an  early  age.  The  points  of  identification  are  sat¬ 
isfactory  to  us.  We  possess  a  crayon  portrait  of  the 
departed,  also  a  .photograph  of  her  sister  Mrs.  II., 
taken  when  a  child.  From  the  first  comes  the  identi¬ 
fication  and  the  second  shows  a  remarkable  family 
likeness.  The  psychic  has  on  the  little  bead  rings  on 


240  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


her  fingers  which  her  mother  (my  wife)  made  for 
her  as  a  child,  and  on  her  arm  a  little  snake  bracelet 


Fig.  55.  Photograph  of  Mrs.  Hector  and  the  psychic  picture  of 
the  late  Miss  Armour. 

which  her  aunt  Mary  used  to  place  on  her  when  on  a 
visit. 


EXPERIMENT  WITH  MR.  WYLLIE  241 


About  twelve  months  after  this  picture  was  taken 
a  niece  of  Mrs.  Coates’  and  a  daughter  of  Aunt  Mary 
paid  a  visit  from  South  Africa  to  Rothesay.  She  was 
shown  a  number  of  spirit  photographs,  including  this 
and  the  better  one  taken  with  Mrs.  Shaw  in  Glasgow. 
This  lady  said  “IIow  funny,  mamma  has  an  old 
bracelet  just  the  same  as  that,  ”  little  knowing  that 
the  old  bracelet  and  the  one  on  the  child’s  arm  was 
identical. 

In  the  next  chapter  I  gave  the  photograph  of  Mrs. 
Shaw  and  Agnes,  as  the  latter  comes  out  much  clearer 
than  on  Airs.  II.’s  card.  On  another  day  Airs.  Coates 
and  Mr.  Auld  sat  together  for  a  photograph.  Mr. 
Auld  had  been  hoping  to  get  a  clear  photograph  of  his 
wife.  Mr.  Wyllie  proceeded  as  usual.  A  little  later 
in  the  day  Mrs.  Hector  thought  she  would  have  a  sit¬ 
ting.  Mr.  Wyllie  went  into  the  dark-room  but  did 
not  trouble  to  light  the  red  lamp,  picked  up  what  he 
thought  was  a  fresh  plate,  put  it  into  his  single  slide 
and  exposed  it  on  Mrs.  II.  Upon  developing,  two 
facts  were  discovered.  1st,  it  was  a  double  exposure, 
viz.,  the  plate  previously  used  on  Mrs.  Coates  and  Mr. 
Auld;  2nd,  there  were  two  “extras”  thereon,  viz.,  a 
relative  of  Mr.  Auld’s  whom  we  all  recognised,  and 
the  other  was  recognised  by  the  said  niece  and  Mrs. 
Coates,  as  being  exceedingly  like  a  Miss  Armour.  This 
double  exposure  by  inadvertence  is  the  only  one  in  our 
experience.  The  psychic  “extras”  were  defined 
enough  for  recognition,  but  not  for  production  in  these 
pages.  Subsequently  to  this,  Mrs.  IT.  sat  to  Mr.  Wyllie 


242  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


in  Glasgow  and  obtained  a  beautifully  defined  por¬ 
trait  of  the  late  Miss  Armour,  which  was  somewhat 
spoiled  in  the  prior  double  exposure  accident. 

I  had  discussed  the  subject  of  Spirit  Photography 
with  Mr.  Robert  Whiteford,  sole  partner  in  the  firm 
of  Messi's.  John  Adamson  &  Son,  expert  Marine  and 
Portrait  Photographers,  Rothesay,  whose  firm  has  car¬ 
ried  on  business  in  Rothesay  for  over  half  a  century. 
This  gentleman  is  not  only  a  practical  photographer 
himself,  but  he  stands  high  in  the  community  as  a 
man  of  character  and  responsibility,  whose  word  may 
be  fully  depended  on.  Mr.  Whiteford,  like  many 
practical  and  professional  photographers,  was  wholly 
skeptical  about  psychic  photography,  specimens  of 
which  on  being  shown  to  him  elicited .  critical  and  not 
always  flattering  remarks. 

On  8th  Oct.,  .1909,  Mr.  Whiteford  came  to  Glenbeg 
House  and  had  a  sitting  under  Mr.  Wyllie ’s  own  con¬ 
ditions.  Mr.  Whiteford,  however,  selected  the  day  and 
hour  as  well  as  his  position  before  the  camera.  He 
watched  keenly  all  that  was  done,  but  otherwise  took 
no  active  part  in  the  procedure.  The  plate — only  one 
was  used — was  taken  from  a  box  purchased  by  me 
from  Mr.  William  Meldrum,  M.  P.  S.,  chemist,  Vic¬ 
toria  Street,  Rothesay.  This  plate  was  developed — 
with  all  others  taken  on  8th  October — in  my  presence, 
and  there  was  on  it,  besides  the  sitter,  Mr.  Whiteford, 
the  psychic  picture  of  a  child  about  fifteen  months  old. 
The  negative  was  taken  into  Mr.  Whiteford ’s  and  ex¬ 
amined  by  that  gentleman,  and  a  print  of  it  taken  by 


EXPERIMENT  WITH  MR.  WYLLIE  243 


him.  It  appears  Mr.  Whiteford  had  a  little  hoy,  whose 
photograph  was  never  taken,  who  passed  away  at  this 


Fig.  .">0.  Photograph  of  Mr.  Whiteford  and  psychic  picture  of 
little  hoy  unknown. 


age.  lie  says  it  has  the  Whiteford  features,  but  he 
does  not  recognise  it  as  his  child. 

The  next  sitting  this  gentleman  had  with  Mr.  Wyllie 
was  on  the  next  day,  9th  Oct.,  and  was  held  under  Mr. 
Whiteford ’s  own  conditions.  The  plates  used  were 
taken  from  a  fresh  box  of  5  in.  by  7  in.,  supplied  by 
Mr.  William  Meldrum,  M.  P.  S.,  it  being  the  only  box 


244  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


of  this  particular  size  sold  by  him  during  the  season. 
For  this,  as  the  former,  Mr.  Whiteford  chose  the  day, 


Fig.  57.  Photograph  of  Mr.  Whiteford  and  the  Psychic  Pic¬ 
ture  of  an  old  woman,  unknown. 


moment  and  position  of  the  sitters,  of  whom  I  was 
one.  I  will  note  in  passing  that  on  two  occasions  Mr. 


EXPERIMENT  WITH  MR.  WYLLIE  245 


Whiteford  did  not  turn  up,  owing  to  the  climatic  con¬ 
ditions  being  unfavourable  for  even  ordinary  pho¬ 
tography. 

ATTESTED  REPORT  OF  MR.  ROBERT  WHITEFORD. 

John  Adamson  &  Son,  Photographers. 

Studio:  23  Argyle  St.,  Rothesay, 
October  22,  1909. 

I,  Robert  Whiteford,  Photographer,  Rothesay, 
solemnly  and  sincerely  declare  1  entered  upon  this 
investigation  on  the  understanding  that  I  should  have 
a  free  hand  to  make  my  own  conditions,  and  this  was 
agreed  to  by  Professor  Coates  and  Mr.  Wyllie.  Al¬ 
though  I  had  inspected  Mr.  Wyllie ’s  old  camera  and 
lens,  with  which  he  had  taken  my  photograph  the 
previous  day,  for  convenience,  I  declined  to  take  its 
single  dark  slide  with  me.  I  then  inspected  another 
and  more  modern  ordinary  outdoor  camera — by 
Kodak,  Limited — which  Mr.  Wyllie  had,  and  which 
he  used  for  outdoor  work.  I  took  away  a  double  dark 
slide  belonging  to  the  latter  and  filled  it  with  two 
plates  from  a  box — -supplied  by  Mr.  Meldrum — which 
was  opened  by  me  in  my  own  studio.  I  marked  the 
plates  with  my  initials  and  the  date,  viz.,  “R.  W., 
9-10-09”  just  prior  to  leaving  for  Glenbeg  House. 
When  there  I  again  examined  the  Kodak  camera 
thoroughly,  and  neither  in  it  nor  in  or  about  the  lens 
was  there  anything  out  of  the  way. 

Air.  Wyllie  and  I  entered  into  the  dark-room,  where 
he  asked  me,  ‘‘Is  the  light  satisfactory?”  I  said 
‘‘No.”  He  then  desired  me  to  turn  up  the  light  to 
suit  myself.  This  I  did,  at  the  same  time  opening 
the  slide  and  showing  him  the  plates.  Closing  one 
shutter  and  leaving  the  other  open,  I  held  the  dark 
slide  with  one  of  the  plates  uppermost  for  Mr.  Wyllie 
to  magnetise,  but  the  dark  slide  with  the  plates  was 
never  out  of  my  hands  or  sight.  Mr.  Wyllie  proceeded 


246  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


to  do  what  he  called  “magnetising  the  plate.”  I 
then  closed  the  shutter  and  went  into  the  operating 
room,  where  1  was  joined  by  Professor  Coates.  1 
again  examined  the  camera  and  lens  and  posed  Mr. 
Wyllie  and  focused  him,  and  set  the  shutter  of  the 
camera  ready  for  exposure,  and  made  everything  ready 
for  taking  the  subject. 

Mr.  Wyllie  then  rose,  and  I  took  his  place  as  sub¬ 
ject,  and  Mr.  Wyllie  exposed  the  plate  for  about  six¬ 
teen  seconds.  I  then  rose  and  closed  the  slide,  took 
it  out  of  the  camera  and  posed  Professor  Coates. 
When  finished,  I  took  away  the  dark  slide  to  our 
studio  in  Rothesay.  Upon  developing  the  plates,  I 
found  to  my  astonishment  what  is  called  “a  psychic 
extra”  on  my  own  plate — apparently  that  of  an  old 
woman.  On  that  of  Mr.  Coates  there  was  nothing 
save  himself  as  subject. 

I  entered  into  this  matter  with  an  open  mind,  with 
neither  knowledge  of  the  subject  as  claimed  by  some, 
nor  with  the  slightest  faith  in  it.  In  fact,  as  to  the 
so-called  spirit  photographs  which  I  have  seen,  I  have 
put  them  down  as  “faked”  pictures  or  double  ex¬ 
posures,  except  some  of  Mr.  AVyllie’s  for  which  I 
could  not  account.  The  test  picture  taken  of  me  is 
not  and  could  not  be  a  double  exposure. 

I  went  into  this  test  as  a  photographer,  with  my 
eyes  open,  and  thoroughly  on  the  alert  to  detect  fraud. 
I  found  none.  Mr.  Wyllie  never  refused  to  submit 
to  any  test  conditions  which  my  knowledge  of  photog¬ 
raphy  could  put  him  to.  Nothing  would  have  given 
me  greater  pleasure  had  I  detected  fraud  of  any  de¬ 
scription  than  to  expose  it.  I  claim  this  photograph 
of  myself  to  be  a  genuine  psychic  photograph. 

With  regard  to  the  other  photograph,  taken  the 
previous  day  in  Glenbeg  House,  on  which  there  ap¬ 
pears  a  child  holding  with  its  little  hand  the  lapel  of 
my  coat,  although  I  did  not  see  the  pLate  fitted  into 
the  dark  slide  or  that  plate  afterwards  till  developed 
and  dry,  I  will  state  that  there  was  only  one  exposure 


EXPERIMENT  WITH  MR.  WYLLIE  247 


made  while  I  was  in  the  operating  room.  I  subse¬ 
quently  examined  the  negative  and  made  a  print  from 
it.  I  now  conclude,  based  on  this  examination,  and 
on  the  experiment  of  the  test  photographs,  that  this 
too,  is  a  genuine  psychic  photograph. 

It  may  be  asked  “Why  did  you  not  make  further 
tests?”  My  reply  is  “I  am  a  practical  photographer, 
and  the  test  made,  producing  the  result  mentioned  is 
as  fully  evidential  as  if  I  had  made  a  dozen  similar 
tests.  ’  ’ 

I  wish  now  to  state  emphatically  that  I  am  favour¬ 
ably  impressed  with  Mr.  Wyllie  himself,  and  with  his 
mode  of  working,  he  having  granted  me  all  I  asked 
for.  Based  on  24  years’  practical  experience  as  a 
photographer,  I  assert,  whatever  the  result,  that  I 
could  not  detect,  either  in  himself  or  in  his  work  any 
signs  of  fraud  or  double  dealing. 

Robt.  Whiteford. 

Sworn  Attestation : 

Sworn  at  Rothesay  in  the  County  of  Bute  this  22nd 
day  of  October,  Nineteen  hundred  and  nine  years, 
before  me,  Donald  Grant,  Solicitor  in  Rothesay,  No¬ 
tary  Public. 

Two  facts  not  mentioned  in  the  Affidavit  are — 1st., 
Air.  Whiteford  saw  that  there  was  nothing  concealed 
in  Mr.  Wyllie ’s  hands;  and  2nd,  as  the  dark  slide  was 
a  reversible  one,  he  reversed  it  in  carrying  it  from  the 
dark-room  to  the  camera,  so  that  had  it  been  possible 
to  put  a  “contact”  figure  on  it  by  magnetising  ( ?) 
that  would  at  once  have  been  detected. 

THE  GENUINENESS  OF  MR.  WYLLIE ’s  MEDIUMSHIP 
ESTABLISHED. 

REPORT  OF  GLASGOW  ASSOCIATION  TEST  COMMITTEE.* 

The  Glasgow  Association  of  Spiritualists  ap- 

*  T  aken  from  The  Two  Worlds,  by  permission. 


248  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


proaclied  Mr.  Wyllie  for  a  test  sitting,  stipulating 
that  a  camera,  plates  and  slides  other  than  those  of 
Mr.  Wyllie  should  be  used. 

Mr.  Wyllie,  recognising  the  purpose  of  this  arrange¬ 
ment,  readily  acceded  to  the  request.  Two  test  sit¬ 
tings,  however,  were  held,  one  in  Rothesay  on  Oct. 
9th,  and  the  other  in  Glasgow  on  Oct.  23rd,  and  both, 
considering  the  stringent  nature  of  the  tests  and  con¬ 
ditions,  and  also  taking  into  account  the  adverse  at¬ 
mospheric  conditions  and  the  natural  nervous  tension 
of  the  medium  and  sitters,  were  eminently  successful 
and  satisfactory. 

Every  precaution  was  taken  that  experience  could 
suggest.  The  test  committee  consisted  of  expert 
photographers  chiefly  directed  by  Mr.  II.  H.  Thom¬ 
son,  the  Association’s  Treasurer — a  lecturer  on  pho¬ 
tography  of  twenty-five  years’  experience,  and  a  fre¬ 
quent  prize-winner  in  open  photo  competitions.  Other 
members  were  Mr.  Richard  Thomson,  vice-president, 
Mr.  John  Sclator,  Financial  Secretary ;  Mr.  Roehead, 
and  myself.  Full  reports  were  independently  given 
by  each  member  of  the  committee,  and  a  synopsis 
made. 

The  camera  used  was  Mr.  H.  H.  Thomson’s  half- 
plate  teak-wood  camera,  fitted  for  the  Mackenzie- 
Wishart  patent  slide,  with  envelopes  for  the  same. 
The  plates  were  purchased  at  the  nearest  chemist’s 
twenty  minutes  before  the  sitting.  Two  of  the  com¬ 
mittee  entered  the  chemist’s  dark-room,  and  filled  up 
eight  plates  in  the  slides. 

At  Rothesay  the  committee  were  introduced  to  Mr. 
Wyllie  by  Mr.  James  Coates  in  Glenbeg  House  and 
the  second  sitting  took  place  in  Mr.  Wyllie ’s  apart¬ 
ments  in  Glasgow. 

The  process  adopted  was  simple.  Each  sitter  en¬ 
tered  the  dark-room  separately  with  the  medium  and 
the  sitter  carried  the  slide,  which  never  left  his 
possession.  The  medium  took  hold  of  the  opposite 


EXPERIMENT  WITH  MR.  WYLLIE  249 


corners  to  the  sitter,  and  held  it  there  for  a  short 
time.  Presently  the  medium  asked  the  sitter  to  draw 
out  the  slide,  and  placed  his  left  hand  below  the  slide 
and  his  right  hand  arched  over  the  open  plate.  After 
some  minutes  a  series  of  raps  or  percussion  sounds 
were  heard  below  the  wooden  slide,  and  this  signal 
being  given,  the  sitter  was  requested  to  close  the  slide 
and  place  it  in  the  camera.  Mr.  Wyllie ’s  hands  were 
examined  frequently.  No  phosphorescent  or  other 
suspicious  appearance  was  observed  by  any  of  the 
committee,  who  were  specially  instructed  to  use  their 
keenest  faculties  of  observation.  Before  development 
the  plates  were  examined  minutely  to  detect  any 
markings  of  the  gelatinous  surface.  None  were  dis¬ 
covered. 

Each  member  of  the  committee  went  through  this 
part  of  the  test  process.  All  the  exposures  in  the 
camera  (with  one  exception,  when  he  himself  sat) 
were  made  by  Mr.  H.  H.  Thomson.  Mr.  Wyllie  merely 
held  his  hand  above  the  camera  and  gave  instructions 
as  to  the  period  of  exposure. 

After  the  plates  were  exposed  they  were  imme¬ 
diately  placed  in  the  camera  bag  and  taken  away  by 
the  committee  for  development  in  a  specially  fitted 
■up  room  in  Ebenezer  Church,  Glasgow.  All  the  com¬ 
mittee  were  present  and  watched  all  the  stages  of 
development.  The  following  is  the  result : 

ROTHESAY  TEST  SEANCE. 

First  Plate  Developed — Mr.  R.  Thomson,  sitter. 
Small  face  on  right  arm. 

Second  Plate— Mr.  Roehead,  sitter.  Small  figure 
in  centre  of  body. 

Third  Plate — Mr.  II.  II.  Thomson,  sitter.  Large 
face  over  sitters ;  also  one  in  centre  of  body,  and  a 
symbol. 

Fourth  and  Fifth  Plates— Blank. 


250  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


GLASGOW  TEST  SEANCE. 

First  Plate  Developed — Mr.  Young,  sitter.  Bou¬ 
quet  of  large  lilies  near  region  of  heart,  probably 
symbolical. 

Second  Plate — Mr.  R.  Thomson,  sitter.  Large  face 
showing  on  left  side  and  arm. 

Third  and  Fourth  Plates — Blank  or  faint  markings 
too  indistinct  to  be  mentioned  as  results. 

These  psychic  “extras”  obtained  under  such  con¬ 
ditions  of  control  sufficiently  testify  to  the  highly 
developed  powers  of  Mr.  Wyllie  as  a  psychic  photog¬ 
rapher. 

The  test  committee  unhesitatingly  and  unanimously 
testify  to  Mr.  Wyllie ’s  marked  and  convincing  me- 
diumship,  and  publicly  thank  him  for  his  uniform 
courtesy  and  honourable  dealings. 

Signed  on  behalf  of  the  Sub-Committee, 

Geo.  P.  Young,  President. 

R.  Thomson,  Vice-President. 

H.  H.  Tomson,  Treasurer. 

Miss  M.  M’Callum,  residing  in  Gourock,  hearing 
through  the  Press  that  Mr.  Wyllie  was  taking  photo¬ 
graphs  for  subscribers,  in  Glenbeg  House,  wrote  for 
a  sitting,  and  came  on  Saturday,  9th  Oct.,  for  that 
purpose.  She  was  an  entire  stranger  to  both  the 
photographer  and  the  writer.  Mr.  Wyllie  had  just 
been  giving  sittings  under  strict  test  conditions  to  a 
special  committee  sent  for  the  purpose  by  the  Glasgow 
Association  of  Spiritualists,  but  hearing  that  this  lady 
wanted  a  sitting,  he  agreed,  but  suggested,  as  she  was 
dressed  in  white,  that  she  had  better  have  something 
dark  on,  as  white  often  obscured  a  psychic  face,  which 
otherwise  might  be  an  identifiable  one.  Miss  M’Cal- 


EXPERIMENT  WITH  MR.  WYLLIE  251 


lum  at  once  put  on  her  dark  waterproof  coat  and  Mr. 
Wyllie  made  one  exposure.  I  was  present  at  the  de- 


Fig.  58.  Photograph  of  Miss  M.  McCallum  with  psychic  pic¬ 
ture  of  her  cousin,  the  young  lady  to  the  right. 


velopment  of  the  plate,  and  there  were  two  “extras” 
on  it,  a  man  and  a  woman’s  head.  The  print  was  sent 


252  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


on  to  Miss  McCallum,  and  she  was  delighted  to  recog¬ 
nise  in  the  female  face  that  of  a  cousin.  Concerning 
this  photograph  she  said  “This  is  very  good.  The 
lady  is  my  cousin,  but  I  do  not  know  who  the  man  is 
vet.” 


Fig.  59.  Tlie  Photograph  of  Miss  Payne  and  the  Psychic  Por¬ 
trait  of  her  cousin,  by  Wyllie,  taken  at  Rothesay. 

Miss  Payne,  in  answer  to  a  request  for  her  account 
of  photograph  received  by  her,  gave  me  the  follow¬ 
ing:— 


EXPERIMENT  WITH  MR.  WYLLIE  253 


Kames  Bank,  Port-Bannatyne, 
February  17,  1910. 

Dear  Mr.  Coates:  In  reply  to  your  inquiries  as  to 
the  photograph  which  I  obtained  the  second  time  I 
sat  in  Glenbeg  House,  Oct.  17,  1909,  Mrs.  Coates  and 
I  went  upstairs  together.  I  sat  down  in  front  of  the 
curtain,  and  Mrs.  Coates  on  a  couch  to  my  left.  Mr. 
Wyllie  took  me  and  said  “I  think  you  have  got  some¬ 
thing  this  time,  for  I  saw  a  light  near  you.”  On 
the  Friday  evening  following,  at  a  seance  held  in  your 
house,  Mr.  Wyllie  said  “I  hear  the  name  of  “Addy. ” 
I  had  a  cousin  of  that  name.  She  was  dead.  I  did 
not  get  the  photograph  before  he  left  for  Glasgow. 
I  received  it  afterwards  by  post.  The  face  on  it  is 
that  of  my  cousin,  Adeline  Jones.  Addy  and  I  were 
very  fond  of  each  other.  We  went  to  school  together. 
When  I  last  saw  her,  she  was  keeping  house  for  her 
brother.  She  had  very  pretty  fair  hair,  which  she 
dressed  and  wore  on  the  top  of  her  head ;  she  had 
blue  eyes  and  her  mouth  and  chin  were  as  they  ap¬ 
pear  in  this  photo.  She  was  45  or  thereabouts  when 
she  died.  The  resemblance  to  her  is  so  marked  and 
her  likeness  to  the  family  so  strong  I  am  convinced 
that  it  is  she. 

This  spirit  photograph — so  unexpectedly  received, 
for  I  was  hoping  that  I  should  get  someone  else — has 
given  me  great  pleasure.  It  is  only  recently  I  have 
learned  that  our  loved  ones  are  neither  dead  nor  in¬ 
different  to  the  welfare  of  those  left  behind.  I  be¬ 
lieve  that  she  has  given  me  this  to  comfort  me  and  I 
prize  it  very  highly. 

Yours  faithfully,  Maria  Payne. 

Miss  Maria  Payne  resides  in  the  district,  is  a  mem¬ 
ber  of  St.  Ninian’s  (Parish)  Church,  and  is  one  who, 
having  taken  an  active  interest  in  church  and  the  Lit¬ 
erary  Society’s  work  for  the  last  seventeen  years,  is 


254  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


well  known  and  of  good  repute.  By  “accident”  she 
was  led  to  take  an  interest  in  Spiritualism.  In  com¬ 
ing'  she  hoped  to  get  a  photograph  of  a  certain  friend. 
Miss  Payne  was  much  surprised  to  obtain  the  spirit 
portrait  of  one  of  whom  she  had  not  thought  for  many 
years. 

As  to  the  “extras”  of  departed  persons  being  ob¬ 
tained  when  instead  of  a  subject  sitting  articles  were 
placed  before  the  camera.  We  had  the  case  of  Mr. 
Oscar  E.  Drummond  to  which  we  have  already  re¬ 
ferred.  There  were  two  others.  Mrs.  Elector  had  one 
of  her  children’s  hats — with  some  small  articles  of 
apparel — in  it,  pinned  to  the  back  screen.  With 
these  were  obtained  another,  but  different,  likeness  of 
her  sister  Agnes ;  and  the  other  of  an  aunt  of  her 
mother’s,  a  Mrs.  Dalglish.  Another  of  our  regular 
visitors  had  a  photograph  of  her  late  father  and  some 
other  articles  placed  in  an  envelope.  These  were  at¬ 
tached  to  the  back  screen  and  photographed.  AVith 
these,  as  the  subject,  there  appeared  on  development 
of  the  plate  a  high,  irregular  head  and  face.  No  one 
could  really  tell  till  we  saw  the  print.  It  proved  to  be 
the  portion  of  a  head  and  face  in  which  half  the  fore¬ 
head  was  not  visible,  but  the  nose,  one  eye,  cheek  and 
side  head  came  into  view.  AVhen  -Miss  A.  saw  this  she 

said,  ‘  ‘  How  funny !  This  is  Uncle  James - .  ’  ’  That 

evening  two  of  Miss  A.’s  sisters  arrived,  and  without 
hesitation  said:  “That  is  Uncle  James.”  I  was  pres¬ 
ent  when  the  above  identification  was  made ;  but  I  am 
sorry  I  cannot  give  either  further  particulars  or  the 


EXPERIMENT  WITH  MR.  WYLLIE  255 


photograph,  as  “the  fear  of  man,”  hinders  publicity. 
There  are  one  or  two  points  to  consider  in  relation  to 
these.  Mr.  Drummond  thought  of  and  expected  to  get 
the  photograph  of  his  father,  but  instead  obtained 
that  of  his  uncle  Adolphus.  Airs.  Hector  had  no  defi¬ 
nite  ideas,  just  wanted  an  experiment,  and  obtained 
persons  of  whom  she  had  not  consciously  thought. 

Miss  A.  certainly  hoped  to  get  a  picture  of  her 
father,  and  instead  obtained  a  curious,  but  thoroughly 
identifiable  portrait  of  an  uncle.  Many  other  similar 
results  have  been  obtained,  but  not  with  me.  In  the 
next  chapter  I  give  the  remarkable  testimony  of  Mr. 
Henry  Standfast,  (Belize,  British  Honduras,  Central 
America)  as  to  his  wife’s  photograph  and  others, 
which  came  in  this  way  and  which  should  cause  some 
serious  thinking — complimentary  or  not,  matters 
little. 

Concluding  my  notes  of  personal  experimentation 
with  Mr.  Wyllie,  1  have  had  no  “reversions”  and  “re¬ 
productions,”  except  the  “E.  I).  G.”  case  mentioned. 

Concerning  what  Archdeacon  Colley  calls  “repli¬ 
cas”  I  have  had  several  with  Mr.  Wyllie.  For  in¬ 
stance,  those  of  Mrs.  Coates’  maternal  grandmother. 
The  one  taken  in  Los  Angeles  and  the  other  in  Rothe¬ 
say.  The  duplication  of  Mrs.  Auld,  psychic  photo¬ 
graph  also  obtained  in  Los  Angeles  and  repeated  in 
Rothesay.  Mrs.  Coates’  daughter  Agnes,  whose  psy¬ 
chic  portrait  was  first  obtained  when  her  sister  was 
the  subject  in  Rothesay  and  on  the  second  occasion, 
with  Mrs.  Shaw,  in  Glasgow.  In  these  there  were  dif- 


256  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


ferences;  nevertheless,  they  were  practically  duplica¬ 
tions.  Mr.  A.  W.  Orr  of  Didsbury  reports  the  dupli¬ 
cation  of  Mrs.  Orr.  The  foregoing  are  of  identified 
psychic  photos  of  departed  persons.  There  were 
others  not  identified.  Mr.  Auld  obtained  twice  the 
face  of  one  who  claimed  to  be  a  relation.  Another 
duplication  was  that  of  a  man’s  face,  which  appeared 
on  one  of  Mr.  Auld’s  photographs  and  again  on  the 
photograph  of  a.  visitor  well  known  to  us. 

In  a  photograph  of  Miss  M’Callum,  of  Gourock, 
with  the  identified  portrait  of  a  military  chaplain, 
there  is  also  an  unidentified  face,  which  that  lady 
thought  resembled  a  Boston  professor.  The  features 
are  duplicated  on  a  photograph  taken  by  Mr.  Wyllie 
in  Middletown.  It  is  of  the  type  of  face  which  re¬ 
peats  itself  in  the  Wyllie  photographs. 

I  have  found  other  duplications.  The  psychic  ‘  ‘  ex¬ 
tra”  of  a  little  hoy  (which  I  have  produced)  obtained 
in  Mr.  Whiteford’s  experimentation,  is  duplicated  on 
a  plate  with  Mr.  Wallis,  of  Middletown.  I  might 
mention  other  cases. 

Why  do  these  things  happen?  Mr.  Wyllie  does  not 
know.  He  possesses  no  control  over  the  phenomenon. 
He  thinks  there  are  two  explanations.  1st,  that  these 
“astral”  forms  or  figures  are  made  up  within  his 
surroundings  and  are  either  produced  when  the  con¬ 
ditions  are  not  so  favourable — weakness  in  himself, 
bad  weather,  or 

2nd,  the  repetition  is  due  to  the  desire  of  the  Spirit 


EXPERIMENT  WITH  MR.  WYLLIE  257 


Intelligences  for  recognition  and  these  “extras”  are 
given  again  and  again  till  recognized. 

There  seems  to  me  something  in  both  these  sugges¬ 
tions.  In  the  latter  case  I  have  had  proof,  viz.,  un¬ 
identified  psychic  portraits  have  been  repeated  again 
and  again  till  recognized. 

My  procedure  with  Mr.  Wyllie  (while  our  guest  and 
acting  as  the  representative  of  those  ladies  and  gentle¬ 
men  who  subscribed  to  the  Wyllie  Fund,  and  also  as 
Special  Commissioner  to  The  Two  Worlds  newspaper, 
was  sympathetic,  simple  and  effective. 

1st.  Sympathetic.  In  making  due  allowance  for  a 
stranger  among  strange  people,  and  our  unfortunate 
weather,  I  allowed  Mr.  Wyllie  to  have  (apparently) 
his  own  way  for  a  short  time,  except  using  my  plates, 
back  screen  and  dark-room  arrangements. 

2nd.  Simple.  No  plates  were  used  without  my 
knowledge  and  only  one  exposure  was  made  on  each 
subject.  Whenever  I  thought  fit,  1  marked  the  plate — 
which  in  all  cases  was  my  own,  purchased  either  from 
Mr.  Wm.  Meldrum,  chemist,  or  other  reputable  agent — 
and  I  was  either  present  or  frequently  developed  the 
plates  myself. 

3rd.  Effective.  While  honouring,  and  doing  noth¬ 
ing  to  stultify  mediumship,  or  forcing  my  presence  on 
the  visitors — the  majority  of  whom  1  knew  person¬ 
ally — when  not  present  in  the  operating  room,  1 
learned  from  my  visitors  that  only  one  exposure  had 
been  made.  This  eliminated  at  once  double  exposures 
and  double  printing  from  the  category  of  operations. 


25S  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


As  I  knew  what  was  on  each  negative,  I  also  knew 
what  should  he  on  each  print.  Practically  all  opera¬ 
tions  were  done  under  my  supervision.  Mr.  AVyllie 
operated  where  I  wished ;  in  one  room  or  another, 
with  my  back  screen  or  his  own,  with  my  marked  plates 
when  desired,  only  making  the  exposure ;  subse¬ 
quently  submitting  to  the  test  experiments  of  Mr. 
Robert  Whiteford,  as  reported  in  that  gentleman’s 
affidavit,  and  to  the  tests  required  by  the  Committee 
of  experts  sent  down  by  the  Glasgow  Association  of 
Spiritualists,  Mr.  AVyllie  cordially  consenting.  The 
whole  of  these  proceedings — forming  a  complete  prima 
facie. 

CASE  FOB  SPIRIT  PHOTOGRAPHY 

— was  submitted  by  me  with  vouchers  and  ten  psychic 
photographs,  to  Sir  Oliver  Lodge,  but  failed,  beyond 
courteous  acknowledgments,  to  bring  about  an  inves¬ 
tigation  under  circumstances  so  freely  offered.  No 
medium-photographer’s  psychic  gift  has  been  so  thor¬ 
oughly  examined  and  powers  tested  as  have  been  those 
of  Ah'.  AA7yllie  in  the  short  month  during  which  he  re¬ 
sided  in  our  house. 

About  sixty  per  cent,  of  the  photographs  taken  ex¬ 
hibited  psychic  “extras”  and  twenty-five  per  cent, 
of  these  were  identified  as  those  of  departed  persons. 
To  all  the  subjects  Air.  AVyllie  was  a  complete  stranger 
and  of  the  origins  of  the  psychic  “extras”  or  portraits 
he  could  have  no  knowledge,  and  except  in  the  cases 
where  flowers — roses  and  lilies — were  produced,  there 


EXPERIMENT  WITH  MR.  WYLLIE  259 


was  a  marked  absence  of  symbolism  in  the  photographs 
taken. 

Owing  to  poor  eyesight,  Mr.  AYvllie  frequently 
over-developed  his  negatives  and  often  did  not  see 
defects  before  sending  prints  out.  Coming  from  a  land 
of  almost  perpetual  sunshine,  he  appeared  to  be  un¬ 
acquainted  with  carbon  processes,  but  he  was  evi¬ 
dently  a  thoroughly  practical  photographer.  He  had 
no  interest  whatever  in  making  a  portrait  of  the  sub¬ 
ject,  always  sacrificed  in  psychic  interests;  and  lastly, 
there  was  no  touching-up.  The  sitter  got  what  the 
exposure  produced— nothing  more  and  nothing  less. 


CHAPTER  XII. 


EXPERIMENT  WITH  MR.  WYLLIE : 
CONTINUED 

Miss  M’Callum,  shortly  after  Mr.  Wyllie  left  liere, 
had  a  sitting  in  his  rooms,  9  Corunna  Street,  Glasgow, 
and  was  fortunate  to  obtain  (Fig.  60).  On  this  there 
are  two  psychic  faces,  one  of  which  she  again  was  able 
to  recognize,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Nicolson,  late  of  Tighna- 
bruaich,  a  gentleman,  well  known  on  the  West  Coast 
and  in  the  Highlands.  I  wrote  to  Miss  M’Callum  ask¬ 
ing  her  permission  to  get  a  copy  of  these  photographs 
from  Mr.  Wyllie  and  informed  her  of  my  intention 
to  make  use  of  the  same.  In  her  reply  from  Lome 
Place,  Gourock,  dated  10th  Nov.,  1909,  she  says: — 

In  the  photograph  taken  at  your  house  the  spirit 
face  is  that  of  my  cousin,  who  died  a.  year  ago  in 
the  South  of  England.  As  to  the  second  picture, 
taken  in  Glasgow,  the  gentleman  with  the  military 
cap  is  my  brother’s  late  master,  Roderick  Nicolson, 
of  Tighnabruaich.  He  was  a  retired  minister  and 
had  been  a  Chaplain  in  the  Army.  His  brother 
founded  the  Nicolson  Institution  in  Stornoway  and 
the  Rev.  Roderick  left  his  money  to  that  too.  My 
brother  William  was  with  Mr.  Nicolson  for  eight 
years  and  nursed  him  on  his  deathbed.  I  did  wonder 
how  it  was  that  this  gentleman  came,  but  it  may  in¬ 
terest  you  to  know  that  I  was  wearing  his  gold  albert, 

260 


EXPERIMENT  WITH  MR.  WYLLIE  261 


Fig.  GO.  Photograph  of  Miss  M.  M’Callum  and  the  psychic 
portrait  of  the  Rev.  Mr,  Nicolson. 


which  was  made  up  as  a  bracelet.  He  left  a  legacy  tn 
my  brother.  It  is  just  he.  I  hope  you  will  find  this 
of  use  to  you.  Yours  truly. 


Maggie  M’Callum. 


262  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


I  requested  Miss  M  ’Galium  to  write  her  brother  for 
his  testimony,  and  she  sent  me  the  following  somewhat 
laconic  reply : — 

Lome  Place,  Tighnabruaieh, 

May  1,  1910. 

My  dear  Maggie :  I  consider  the  photo  an  excel¬ 
lent  likeness  of  my  late  master,  Mr.  Roderick  Nicol- 
son,  of  Ravenswood,  Tighnabruaieh. 

Your  loving  brother,  Willie. 

Miss  M’Callum  wrote  me  on  3rd  May,  1910,  to  the 
effect  that  she  had  been  able  to  recognise  the  other 
photos  and  that  she  had  another  satisfactory  photo 
taken  by  Mr.  Wyllie  at  Christmas. 

This  is  an  example  of  one  of  the  puzzles  of  psychic 
photography.  It  is  not  a  reproduction  of  a  previous 
psychic  portrait,  although  similar  in  attitude  in  feat¬ 
ures  and  pose,  but  not  either  in  focus  or  position  as 
when  taken  with  her  own  sister  at  Rothesay  some 
weeks  before.  Mrs.  Shaw  is  a  stranger  to  us,  but 
when  Mr.  Wyllie  discovered  what  he  had  obtained, 
he  immediately  sent  the  results  to  Mrs.  Coates.  And 
Mrs.  Shaw  gave  her  permission  for  the  disposal  of  the 
negative,  from  which  the  above  has  been  taken.  Why 
we  should  get  a  better  and  clearer  picture  with  a 
stranger  than  with  the  mother  or  sister  as  sitters,  is 
a  question  not  easily  answered.  Particulars  concern¬ 
ing  identification  given  in  previous  chapter. 

I  wrote  to  Mrs.  Grant  about  the  above  photograph 
on  the  6th  September,  1910  and  that  lady  accom¬ 
panied  with  her  daughter,  Miss  Jean  Grant,  called 
upon  me  on  the  10th,  same  month.  In  reply  to  ques- 


Experiment  with  Mr.  wyllie 


263 

tions,  I  learned  that  Mrs.  Grant  felt  strongly  im¬ 
pressed  to  go  to  Mr.  Wyllie  and  sit  for  a  photograph. 
She  called  at  his  rooms  in  the  month  of  November, 


Fig.  61.  Photograph  by  Ed.  Wyllie  of  Mrs.  Shaw,  and  the 
psychic  picture  of  Mrs.  Coates’  daughter,  Agues  Tweedale 
Simpson. 


1009.  "While  going  up  the  st;;i:.s,  she  had  a  second  im¬ 
pression  through  feeling  a  hand  patting  her  cheek. 
Mr.  Wyllie  owing  to  the  foggy  weather  at  first  de¬ 
clined  to  take  her,  but  rather  than  disappoint  her  did 
so.  She  was  very  pleased  because  she  felt  that  she 


264  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 

would  get  someone,  and  said  so  to  Mr.  "Wyllie.  “But,” 
she  said, 


Fig.  62.  Photograph  by  Wyllie  of  Mrs.  Charlotte  Grant  with 
the  psychic  portrait  of  her  boy  Alexander  Grant. 


“I  was  not  thinking  of  Alex,  I  was  hoping  and  ex¬ 
pecting  to  get  the  photograph  of  another  person. 
When  I  got  the  proof  I  was  both  delighted  and  sur- 


EXPERIMENT  WITH  MR.  WYLLIE  265 


prised  to  get  the  picture  of  my  son  Alex.  I  never  had 
a  photograph  taken  of  him  in  life.” 

The  above  statements  were  corroborated  by  Miss 

Jean  Grant. 

Miss  Ross — residing  in  West  Princes  St.,  Glasgow 
— an  old  friend  of  Mrs.  Grant  (who  knew  little  Alex 
well  and  was  with  him  in  his  last  hours  in  life)  called 
to  see  the  Grants,  a  few  days  after  they  obtained  this 
photograph.  Airs.  Grant,  knowing  her  friend  was  not 
a  Spiritualist,  merely  mentioned  to  her  that  she  had 
her  photograph  taken,  and  let  her  see  it  without  com¬ 
ment.  AVhen  Miss  Ross  saw  it,  she  exclaimed: — 

“Oh!  that  is  little  Alex  with  his  smiling  face.  How  did 
you  get  that?” 

Mrs.  Grant  said: — “He  is  dead,  you  know.” 

Miss  Ross  said  that  she  knew  that,  but  was  anxious 
to  know  how  Mrs.  Grant  got  it.  Airs.  Grant  explained 
as  best  she  could.  Miss  Ross  could  not  understand, 
but  expressed  delight  at  the  marvel. 

I  sent  the  above  to  Airs.  Grant  for  confirmation  and 
received  the  following: — 

30  Derby  St.,  Glasgow. 

Sept.  23,  1  f)  10. 

Dear  Sir:  Please  find  enclosed  with  signatures.  I 
forgot  to  mention  to  you  on  the  10th.  inst.,  that  when 
little  Alex  took  the  illness  from  which  he  died,  he 
was  very  fevered,  so  1  cut  his  hair  to  try  and  cool 
him.  I  did  not  cut  it  very  evenly.  AVhen  I  received 
his  spirit  photo  from  Air.  Wyllie,  his  hair  was  just 
as  I  had  cut  it  before  he  died. 

ATours  truly, 


Charlotte  Grant. 


266  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


“We  have  read  the  foregoing  account  and  beg  to 
testify  that  it  is  correct. 

“We  also  add  that  Alexander  Grant  was  three 
years  and  seven  months  old  when  he  died,  and  that 
this  photograph  of  him  was  taken  twenty-six  years 
after  his  death. 

Signed  by:  Charlotte  Grant,  30  Derby  St.,  Glas¬ 
gow;  Margaret  Ross,  351  W.  Princess  St.,  Glasgow; 
Jean  Grant,  30  Derby  St.,  Glasgow ;  Isobelle  M.  Grant, 
30  Derby  St.,  Glasgow. 

The  testimony  in  this  case  is  most  conclusive.  A 
stranger  to  Glasgow,  and  this  family,  produces  the 
photograph  of  a  boy  who  passed  away  many  years 
ago.  The  identity  and  the  evidence  is  as  complete,  as 
the  laws  of  both  ordinary  and  expert  evidence  de¬ 
mand. 

THE  STORY  OP  MAGGIE’S  PSYCHIC  PORTRAIT. 

While  I  have  to  suppress  the  names  of  both  the  sit¬ 
ter  and  the  originals  of  the  psychically-produced 
“extras,”  the  evidence  will  be  sufficiently  strong  to 
permit  the  case  being  recorded  as  “identified.” 

I  am  indebted  to  Deacon  Convener  John  Duncan, 
of  Edinburgh  for  the  photograph.  To  this  gentleman 
Mr.  Wyllie  left  all  his  Edinburgh  negatives,  save 
one,  that  of  his  own  mother’s  psychic  picture,  which 
he  obtained  when  a  relative  of  his  sat.  When  we 
examined  the  prints  taken  from  the  negatives  men¬ 
tioned,  Mrs.  Coates  and  I  immediately  recognized  the 
psychic  portrait  of  Maggie.  We  told  the  story  to  the 
Convener,  at  which  he  was  astonished.  He  wondered 
what  the  lady  on  whose  photograph  this  had  come 


EXPERIMENT  WITH  MR.  WYLLIE  267 

would  think.  The  history  may  be  briefly  summed  up 
as  a  story  of  a  woman’s  imprudence  and  a  man’s 


Fig.  63.  The  Photograph  of  Miss  B  - ,  Edinburgh,  and  the 

Psychic  Extras  of  Margaret,  M - -  and  Child,  taken  by 

Mr.  Edward  Wyllie. 

selfishness.  The  young  woman  was  in  our  service 
many  years  ago,  and  had  to  leave.  She  went  to  re- 


268  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


latives  in  - shire,  and  for  eighteen  months  there¬ 

after  she  corresponded  with  Mrs.  Coates.  We  knew 
the  reputed  father,  too,  and  the  child  is  very  like  him. 
Maggie  was  a  foolish  girl,  but  not  a  bad  one. 
Whether  dead  or  living  we  do  not  know,  as  the 
correspondence  had  ceased  suddenly,  but  the  follow¬ 
ing,  which  took  place  many  years  after  she  left  us, 
suggests  she  is  on  the  other  side : — 

One  evening  (Friday,  8th  October,  1909) — a  short 
time  after  (Mr.  Wyllie  had  so  successfully  passed  the 
tests  described  elsewhere — we  had  our  usual  weekly 
sitting,  at  which  Mr.  Wyllie  and  several  othei*s  were 
present.  That  evening  Mr.  Wyllie  described  a  spirit 
of  a  man  wearing  a  peculiar  cap  or  fez  on  his  head, 
and  who  was  looking  at  me.  Next  day  this  man’s 
face,  as  described,  came  on  a  plate  of  which  I  was 

the  subject.  At  the  same  sitting,  Miss  Kate  M - 

described  a  tall,  dark-haired  woman,  who  said,  “Do 
not  despise  me,  Mrs.  Coates.”  The  latter  said,  “I 
do  not  despise  anyone.  AVho  are  you?”  “Don’t  look 
down  on  me,  I  am  your  servant,  Maggie.”  Mrs. 
Coates  remembered,  and  so  did  I,  but  neither  Miss 

Kate  M - nor  the  rest  knew  what  was  meant  in  that 

plea.  Certainly  we  both  had  forgotten  this  young 
woman,  but  Miss  M -  never  knew  her.  The  in¬ 

cident  was  a  very  good  bit  of  psychic  evidence.  I 
append  the  names  of  those  present  that  night  in  cor¬ 
roboration  of  this  incident,  of  which  the  psychic 
photographs  were  unexpected  and  remarkable  se¬ 
quels. 


EXPERIMENT  WITH  MR.  WYLLIE  269 


We  were  present  on  the  evening  of  the  8th  October, 

1909,  when  Miss  Kate  M -  described  a  tali,  dark 

spirit,  and  heard  the  message  which  Miss  M - said 

she  heard  clairaudientlv,  and  bear  testimony  to  the 
fact  that  the  said  description  and  message  were  imme¬ 
diately  recognised  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Coates. 

John  Auld,  Hazelcliffe,  Rothesay. 

Maria  Payne,  Karnes  Bank,  Port  Bannatyne. 

Flora  Stewart,  Stratford  House,  Port  Bannatyne. 

Agnes  M - ,  ) 

Ina  M - ,  >  Ladies  residing  in  Rothesay. 

Katherine  XI - , ) 

James  Coates,  Glenbeg  House,  Rothesay. 

Jessie  Coates,  Glenbeg  House,  Rothesay. 

Rothesay,  7th  October,  1910. 

I  can  offer  no  explanation.  Mr.  Wyllie  was  cer¬ 
tainly  our  guest,  and  present  at  that  sitting.  He  did 
not  know  and  could  not  have  obtained  a  photograph 
of  her,  as  none  existed.  The  portrait  of  this  woman 
must  have  been  produced  by  some  psychic  process  of 
which  we  are  ignorant.  Humanly  speaking,  it  is  not 
a  case  of  mistaken  identity.  The  points  of  interest 
are  as  follows : — 

*1.  We  had  a  female  domestic,  whom  we  both  knew 
intimately. 

2.  She  left  under  certain  circumstances  as  to 
doubly  impress  her  features  on  our  memory. 

3.  She  had  passed  out  of  our  thoughts  till  either 
herself  (or  some  intelligence  in  the  invisible)  influ¬ 
enced  a  lady — a  recent  acquaintance — to  describe  her 
and  give  us  a  very  striking  and  thought-provoking 
message. 


270  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


4.  Several  thoughtful  and  intelligent  persons  were 
present  on  that  occasion,  and  noted  that  we  recog¬ 
nized  the  spirit  described  and  the  message. 

5.  Some  months  afterwards  a  lady  in  Edinburgh 
— a  stranger  to  us — sits  for  a  photograph  to  a  stranger 
to  her.  She  obtains  two  extras  on  her  photograph. 
They  are  not  recognized. 

6.  Another  stranger,  Convener  John  Duncan,  of 
Edinburgh,  visited  us  (April,  1910),  and  having 
shown  us  a  number  of  prints,  we  recognise  Maggie’s 
photograph,  the  only  photograph  in  the  whole  collec¬ 
tion  which  has  been  recognized. 

In  all  this  we  have  evidence  of  the  work  of  intelli¬ 
gent  operators  in  the  invisible  who  are  able,  through 
a  suitable  medium,  to  produce  psychic  pictures. 

Cui  bono?  And  to  what  purpose?  These  ques¬ 
tions  I  cannot  fully  answer,  but  I  do  suggest  as  to 
“what  good,”  that  we  have  a  hint  here  that  the  rec¬ 
ord  of  what  we  are  and  have  been  exists  in  the  Akasa 
or  thought-atmosphere  of  the  psychic  world  wherein 
we  partly  exist  now  and  where  we  will  see  ourselves 
as  we  really  are  ultimately.  And  the  purpose  is 
probably  to  show  us  that  neither  change  of  name  nor 
place,  neither  in  the  body  nor  out  of  it,  can  we  escape 
from  our  real  selves ;  that  we  begin  our  progress  in 
the  discarnate  state  where  we  left  off  while  in  the 
body,  no  better  or  no  worse.  If  poor  Maggie  has 
been  the  means  of  driving  these  thoughts  home,  we 
should  welcome  her  visit  and  prize  her  spirit  photo¬ 
graph. 


EXPERIMENT  WITH  MR.  WYLLIE 


271 


The  foregoing  was  sent  to  John  Duncan,  Esq.,  who 
brought  us  the  prints  and  the  psychic  picture  of 
M aggie,  with  the  request:  “If  the  statements  are  cor¬ 
rect  I  will  he  glad  to  have  your  certificate  to  that 
effect.”  I  append  it:- — 

6tli  October,  1910. 

I,  John  Duncan,  residing  at  Dunearn,  Granton- 
road,  Edinburgh,  do  hereby  certify  that  the  story  of 
“Maggie’s”  psychic  portrait  as  related  by  Mr.  James 
Coates  in  his  work,  entitled  “Photographing  the  In¬ 
visible,”  is  correct  in  every  detail.  I  have  known  the 
young  lady  who  sat  for  her  photo  with  Mr.  Wvllie 
for  a  number  of  years.  The  negative  was  in  my 
possession,  and  the  prints  Mr.  Coates  refers  to  taken 
from  it.  I  was  also  present  at  the  sitting  in  Mr. 
Coates’s  house  when  Miss  Kate  M - at  once  recog¬ 

nised  the  photograph  as  being  that  of  the  young 
woman  she  had  described  to  Mrs.  Coates  at  a  previous 
sitting.  I  may  also  say  that  the  young  lady  in  Edin¬ 
burgh  who  sat  with  Mr.  Wyllie  is  a  Spiritualist,  but 
knew  nothing  of  the  young  woman  or  child,  and  she 
has  never  been  in  Rothesay.  John  Duncan, 

Convener  of  Trades,  Edinburgh. 

I  have  always  maintained  that  the  intelligence  at 
work  in  the  invisible  have  a  higher  object  in  the  pro¬ 
duction  of  psychic  photographs  than  the  mere  com¬ 
fort  and  gratification  of  the  sitter.  This  is  a  case  in 
point.  The  sitter  was  not  personally  concerned,  but 
the  lesson  for  all  is  most  obvious.  The  photographer 
and  the  subject  are  instruments  in  the  production  of 
the  picture,  but  wholly  ignorant  of  the  purport — a 
story  of  true  human  interest,  with  a  moral. 


272  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


Mr.  A.  W.  Orr,  writing  from  15  Moorland  Road, 
Didsbury,  Manchester,  19th  April,  1910,  says : — 


Fig.  64.  Photograph  of  Mr.  A.  W.  Orr  and  the  Psychic  Por¬ 
trait  of  his  Wife.  Done  by  Mr.  Edward  Wyllie. 

I  enclose  you  a  copy  of  the  photograph  on  which 
appears  the  likeness  of  my  wife  and  also  a  copy  of 
another  later  photo  on  which  I  hoped  to  get  another 
likeness  of  her,  but  in  this  I  was  disappointed.  I 
enclose  statement  as  to  the  identification  of  the  “ex¬ 
tra”  as  being  the  likeness  of  my  wife,  signed  by  peo¬ 
ple  who  knew  her  well  and  used  to  see  her  frequently 
during  the  many  years  of  our  life  here,  face  to  face, 
if  I  may  so  express  myself.  No  similar  photograph 
was  taken  of  her  in  life. 


EXPERIMENT  WITH  MR.  WYLLIE  273 


Miss  Lee  used  frequently  to  be  in  our  house  for 
days  together,  and  Lucy  Turner  was  my  wife’s  maid. 
Mr.  Shaw,  a  neighbour  and  friend,  living  opposite  to 
us,  knew  us  both  intimately. 

Testimony  referred  to  above.  Same  address  and 
date. 

I  consider  the  psychic  “extra”  on  the  photograph 
of  Mr.  A.  W.  Orr,  taken  by  Mr.  E.  Wyllie,  to  be  a 
good  likeness  of  the  late  Mrs.  Orr. 

Mr.  W.  Shaw,  Grove  Lane,  Didsbury. 

Miss  L.  M.  Turner,  now  of  113  Fairfield  R.,  Buxton. 
Miss  A.  Lee,  now  of  113  Fairfield  R.,  Buxton. 

Regarding  the  second  photograph  which  I  think 
is  of  sufficient  importance  to  produce,  Mr.  Orr,  writ¬ 
ing  on  the  following  day,  19th  April,  says: — 

1  know  neither  face  which  appears,  but  one  after¬ 
noon  I  showed  it  to  a  friend,  who  said  he  thought  it 
was  his  uncle’s  likeness,  his  mother’s  brother,  of 
whom  he  had  only  a  faint  recollection,  as  he  (the 
uncle)  had  gone  abroad  when  my  friend  was  a  child. 
He  showed  the  print  to  his  father,  who  declared  that 
it  was  a  very  good  likeness  of  the  uncle,  after  whom 
he  was  named. 

Shortly  afterwards,  without  comment,  I  showed  the 
print  to  another  person,  who  said  “Isn’t  there  a  like¬ 
ness  to  Air.  R.  (my  friend)  in  the  man’s  face?” 
There  is  a  resemblance  between  the  “extra”  and  my 
friend,  as  often  seen  in  family  likenesses,  and  I  give 
the  foregoing  not  so  much  as  evidence  as  being  very 
suggestive.  Yours  truly,  A.  W.  Orr. 

In  interesting  confirmation  of  the  fact  of  Mrs. 
Orr’s  psychic  portrait,  Air.  Orr  wrote  me  from  Men- 
dip  Cottage,  Coombe  Warren,  Kingston-on-Thames 
on  26th  April.  1910: — 


274  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


I  may  mention  that  the  day  before  I  left  Man¬ 
chester,  the  photographer  who  (a  great  skeptic  him¬ 
self)  is  printing  from  Mr.  AVyllie’s  negatives,  showed 
me  a  print  of  an  “extra”  only  which  had  come  on  a 
negative  taken  a  few  days  previously  by  Air.  Wyl lie, 
and  asked  if  I  could  recognise  the  face.  I  at  once 
said  that  it  was  extremely  like  my  wife.  He  said 
that  he  was  so  much  struck  with  the  likeness  that  he 
had  made  a  copy  of  the  print  to  show  me  it.  This 
“extra”  is  a  better  and  clearer  likeness  of  my  wife 
than  that  which  appears  on  my  photograph.  I  sup¬ 
pose  that  she  and  the  spirits  who  direct  these  matters 
happened  to  see  that  through  this  particular  gentle¬ 
man  they  could  probably  build  up  a  mask  substan¬ 
tial  enough  to  appear  on  the  plate,  and  they  took  the 
opportunity  accordingly.  No  doubt  many  spirit  peo¬ 
ple  are  around  while  Air.  AVyllie  is  taking  photo¬ 
graphs  and  those  who  are  able — finding  the  conditions 
suitable — press  forward  and  produce  the  “extras,” 
quite  or  very  largely  indifferent  to  the  question  of 
who  the  sitter  may  be.  trusting  to  luck,  so  to  speak, 
to  being  recognised  by  somebody  at  some  time  or 
other. 

As  to  the  face  of  the  little  girl  on  the  second  photo¬ 
graph,  when  Airs.  Coates  and  I  saw  it  we  at  once 
commented  on  the  amazing  likeness  of  the  “extras” 
to  that  of  a  child  of  a  friend  of  ours.  AVe  coidd  not 
be  mistaken  about  the  face,  as  the  little  one  had  a 
strongly  individualised  physiognomy.  Although 
wondering  if  the  child  had  passed  over,  we  did  not 
like  to  write  to  the  parents.  Hoping  that  we  should 
hear  from  them  or  have  a  visit  in  due  course,  we  did 
not  write.  Our  friends  called  on  9th  September, 
1910.  Among  other  photographs  we  showed  them 


EXPERIMENT  AVI  TIT  MR.  WYLLIE 


this,  Both  were  extremely  surprised  when  they  saw 
the  face  of  their  own  child  on  the  photograph  of  an 


Fig.  G5.  Second  Photograph  of  Mr.  A.  W.  Orr  with  Two  Psy¬ 
chic  “Extras.”  taken  by  Ed.  Wvllie  in  Manchester,  in 
March,  1910.  The  face  of  Little  (Jirl,  is  that  of  a  living 
person. 

entire  strange: — in  fact  to  see  it  at  all.  T  need  not 
dwell  on  their  conjectures,  hut  summarise  lie  result 
of  their  certificates: — 


276  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


I  have  examined  the  photo  thoroughly  and  am  con¬ 
vinced  that  the  face  of  the  child  is  that  of  my 
daughter.  James  S.  Paterson, 

Glenkiln,  Belmont  Drive,  Giffnock. 

I  have  also  examined  the  photograph  and  am  con¬ 
vinced  that  the  face  of  the  child  thereon  is  that  of 
my  daughter  Mattie.  Martha  Paterson. 

Both  certificates  were  written  in  our  presence,  in 
Glenbeg  House,  Rothesay,  on  the  9th  September,  1910. 

James  &  Jessie  Coates. 

Now  for  the  facts,  which  I  have  been  able  to  verify. 
The  psychic  photographs  were  taken  in  Manchester, 
March  22nd,  1910.  Neither  Mr.  Orr  nor  Mr.  Wyllie 
ever  saw  the  child.  Little  Mattie  is  very  much  alive. 
The  photograph  cannot  be  that  of  a  departed,  and  if 
anything  it  is  a  picture  of  her  “double.” 

Mr.  Orr  says : — 

I  am  obliged  for  your  letter  of  the  27tli  (Sept. 
1910)  and  the  photographs  which  accompanied  it, 
which  are  extremely  interesting.  ...  I  am  glad 
that  the  little  girl’s  face  on  my  photograph  has  been 
recognised.  As  the  photograph  was  taken  in  the 
afternoon  I  believe  she  would  be  wide  awake  and  ‘all 
alive’  as  to  her  state  of  consciousness;  so  that  the 
question  How  came  her  face  on  my  photograph  is  a 
mystery  of  an  extra  degree  of  mysteriousness.  The 
face  is  so  clear  that  its  recognition  can  hardly  be 
erroneous.  It  is  a  face  having  a  good  deal  of  in¬ 
dividuality. 

I  am  content  to  state  the  facts.  As  to  explanation, 
life  is  too  short  for  that. 

A  word  as  to  the  testimony  of  Mr.  A.  W.  Orr,  I 
find  that  he  is  a  man  of  standing  in  the  community  of 


EXPERIMENT  WITH  MR.  WYLLIE  277 


Didsbury,  where  he  has  resided  for  29  years.  He 
became  interested  in  Spiritualism  in  1894  for  a  sim¬ 
ilar  reason  to  that  given  by  Ur.  Alfred  Russel  Wal¬ 
lace,  F.  R.  S. ;  O.  M.,  viz.,  “The  facts  were  too  many 


Fig.  66.  Photograph  of  Mrs.  Clara  Ashworth,  and  the  Psychic 
Portrait  of  Miss  Alice  Whittaker. 

for  me.”  He  was  many  years  president  of  the  Man¬ 
chester  Psychic  Research  Society.  He  is  held  in  high 
repute  in  Manchester  and  district  as  a  man  of  probity 
and  strong  scientific  tendencies.  He  has  been  and  is 
now  one  of  the  directors  of  The  Two  Worlds  Publish- 


278  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


ing  Company.  As  a  man  of  integrity,  his  testimony 
and  opinions  merit  consideration  in  these  cases,  as 
they  would  have  due  weight  in  a  Court  of  Law. 

Mrs.  Ashworth,  17  Kent  Street,  Milkstone  Road, 
Rochdale,  at  my  request  sent  me  three  photographs. 
In  two  of  these  Mrs.  Ashworth  is  the  subject  and  the 
“extras”  are  the  psychic  portraits  of  her  own  sister 
— a  very  clear  and  convincing  likeness,  and  well  at¬ 
tested.  The  second  photograph  gives  as  an  “extra” 
the  likeness  of  Miss  Alice  Whittaker.  The  third 
photograph,  in  which  Air.  Eli  Holt,  seanor,  of  4 
Franklin  St.,  Rochdale,  is  the  subject,  the  “extra” 
is  the  psychic  picture  of  his  little  brother,  who  was 
eight  weeks  old  when  he  passed  away. 

When  Mr.  Wyllie  was  at  Rochdale,  Mrs.  Ashworth 
— who  is  herself  a  psychic — sat  twice  for  a  photo¬ 
graph,  viz.,  on  4th  June,  1010,  when  she  obtained  the 
likeness  of  her  sister,  and  on  5th  June,  when  she  re¬ 
ceived  that  of  A I  iss  Alice  Whittaker.  At  the  time  of 
sitting  she  did  not  know  what  she  had  got  on  the 
plates,  but  went,  hoping  to  get  the  photograph  of  her 
father.  In  this  respect  her  hope  did  not  materialise. 
Of  one  thing,  however,  she  is  certain,  that  Mr.  Wyllie, 
the  photographer,  a  perfect  stranger  in  the  com¬ 
munity  and  only  there  for  a  brief  visit,  could  neither 
know  nor  get  photographs  of  either  her  sister  or  the 
late  Miss  Alice  Whittaker. 

On  the  morning  before  getting  her  prints,  Mrs. 
Ashworth  saw,  in  luminous  letters,  the  name  “Alice 
Whittaker.”  She  did  not  know  what  this  meant  until 


EXPERIMENT  WITH  MR.  WYLLIE 


279 


she  secured  the  photographs.  I  have  only  her  word 
for  this,  but  I  at  once  accept  it.  Mrs.  Ashworth  is 
much  respected  in  the  world  in  which  she  lives,  and 
many  of  her  psychical  experiences  have  been  thor¬ 
oughly  substantiated. 

We,  the  undersigned,  knew  the  late  Miss  Whittaker  well. 
Some  of  us  actually  worked  with  her  when  she  was  at  Scho¬ 
field’s  Mill,  in  Rochdale,  ■where  she  lived  the  most  of  her  life. 
Miss  A.  Whittaker  was  an  active,  energetic  woman,  well  known 
in  the  town.  She  was  found  dead  sitting  in  her  chair,  April 
18th,  1910.  The  spirit  photograph  we  all  recognize  as  hers. 

Mrs.  M.  I.  Ashworth,  26  Crawford  St.,  Rochdale. 

Jane  Ingham,  32  Mere  Lane,  Rochdale. 

Nellie  Parry,  18  Talbot  St.,  Rochdale. 

Mary  Ellen  Whelden,  87  Durham  St.,  Rochdale. 

Miss  Wilson,  Woodford  St.,  St.  Annes-on-the-Sea. 

Frank  Crossby,  Miss  E.  Furness,  Mrs.  E.  E.  Lord 
and  Airs.  Parry  worked  with  her  in  the  same  mill. 
Airs.  II.  A.  Wilkinson  knew  her  all  her  life,  Mrs. 
Ingham  and  Mrs.  E.  Holden  for  years  traded  with 
her  in  business,  and  Mr.  James  Cooper,  141  Osborne 
St.,  Rochdale,  was  a  co-worker  with  her  for  several 
years  in  church  and  mission  work. 

I  have  omitted  the  address  of  some  of  these  wit¬ 
nesses,  but  as  all  of  them  except  Miss  Wilson  are  at 
present  residing  in  Rochdale,  their  opinions  and  sig¬ 
natures  can  be  readily  verified.  The  evidence  to  the 
fact  of  Spirit  Photography  can  not  he  easily  gain¬ 
said. 

Before  completing  the  evidence  in  favor  of  psychic 
photography  and  Mr.  Edward  Wvllie’s  genuine  med- 
iumship,  I  wish  to  contrast  all  the  foregoing  sub¬ 
stantial  and  corroborating  testimony,  with  that  of 


280  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


the  “Expert,”  Mr.  William  Marriott,  who  (without 
experimentation  with  Mr.  Wyllie  or  any  experience 
whatsoever  in  psychic  photography)  denounced  Mr. 
Wyllie,  as  “a  fraud,”  in  Pearson’s  Monthly.  Com¬ 
ment  is  needless. 

TESTIMONY  TO  WYLLIE ’s  MEDIUMSHIP.  FROM  A  NOTED 
LECTURER,  MRS.  R.  S.  LILLIE,  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO,  CAL. 

This  lady  was  among  those  who  occasionally  de¬ 
nounced  Spirit  Photography  and  physical  phenomena 
from  the  platform.  Her  influence  was  very  great — - 
under  inspiration.  She  was  a  most  effective  and 
charming  speaker.  Mr.  J.  J.  Morse,  editor  of  The 
Two  Worlds,  says : — Mrs.  Lillie  was  a  truly  good  wo¬ 
man,  and  beloved  literally  from  Maine  to  Texas,  from 
New  York  to  California.  She  will  be  much  missed 
upon  the  Pacific  coast,  where  she  was  for  many  years 
an  honoured  resident,  and  a  tireless  worker  for  our 
cause.  She  passed  out  on  the  28th  Feb.,  1911. 

Her  letter  to  Mr.  Wyllie  has  been  in  my  possession 
since  Oct.,  1909.  It  is  as  follows : — 

Montecito,  Cal., 

July  12,  1905. 

Mr.  Edward  Wyllie, 

Dear  Brother  Co-worker:  The  proof  of  photo  is  at 
hand.  Many  years  ago  N.  B.  Starr,  of  Port  Huron, 
Mich.,  who  was  controlled  to  paint  spirit  pictures, 
presented  me  with  a  life-size  portrait  of  my  guardian 
spirit,  a  beautiful  female  form.  The  picture  hangs 
by  me  as  I  write.  I  have  always  valued  it  very  highly. 
The  form  by  my  side  in  your  sitting  is  a  good  like¬ 
ness  of  that  portrait ;  the  face  is  very  like  it ;  the  posi- 


EXPERIMENT  WITH  MR.  WYLLIE  281 


tion  is  different.  The  painting  is  a  bust,  while  yours 
is  full  length.  The  face  in  the  folds  of  my  garment 
1  do  not  recognise,  but  I  shall  be  greatly  obliged  if 
you  will  send  me  a  finished  copy  of  the  picture.  Am 
sorry  I  did  not  sit  earlier.  With  many  thanks  1  am, 
Sincerely  and  truly  yours,  R.  S.  Lillie. 

Our  readers  who  have  doubts  about  spi:  it-painted 
pictures,  are  referred  to  the  Chapters  devoted  to  that 
subject.  In  the  above  letter  we  have  testimony,  in 
good  faith,  given  not  only  to  the  foregoing,  hut  also 
to  the  fact  of  spirit-photography;  an  unwilling  con¬ 
cession  compelled  by  the  resemblance  of  the  psychic¬ 
ally  produced  picture  to  that  of  the  psychic  painting. 

I  am  not  concerned  here  with  the  honest  belief  in 
her  guardian  spirit,  but  with  her  testimony — in  con¬ 
junction  with  that  of  others — to  the  reality  of  the 
phenomenon  of  Spirit-Photography. 

CONCLUDING  TESTIMONY  TO  MR.  WYLLIE ’s  PSYCHIC 
ABILITY. 

Some  months  ago  I  wrote  to  Mr.  Wyllie  informing 
him  that  I  was  engaged  in  writing  a  work  on  Spirit- 
Photography.  I  was  somewhat  surprised  he  did  not 
give  me  cases,  or  the  names  and  addresses  of  those 
who  had  received  “extras”  which  had  been  identified. 
I  recognised  the  value  of  his  objections,  which  rested 
mainly  with  the  sitters,  who  generally  refused  to  give 
particulars  for  publication.  Some  did  not  like  their 
names  given ;  others  thought  the  matter  too  sacred 
for  publicity.  However,  in  due  course  1  was  informed 
that  Mr.  Henry  Standfast,  of  British  Honduras,  had 


282  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


sent  an  account  to  his  old  friend  and  correspondent, 
Mr.  J.  .J.  Morse.  It  appeared  in  The  Two  Worlds, 
21st  April,  1911,  in  the  same  number  containing  the 
account  of  Mr.  Edward  Wyllie’s  transition. 

The  friends  to  whom  Mr.  Standfast  had  shown  the 
photograph,  knew  his  wife  in  life  and  were  astonished 
and  more  so  as  the  simple  facts  were  put  before  them. 

Mr.  J.  J.  Morse  says:  It  is  a  remarkable  testi¬ 
mony  to  the  medial  powers  of  Mr.  AVyllie,  the  noted 
medium  for  spirit-photography.  Air.  Standfast,  the 
writer  is  well  known  to  me  as  a  thoroughly  honourable 
man  and  his  plain,  straightforward  testimony  can  be 
accepted  without  reserve.  He  has  resided  in  Belize, 
British  Honduras,  for  many  years,  holding  a  respon¬ 
sible  position  in  the  United  Fruit  Company,  there. 

I  very  much  regret,  owing  to  the  miscarriage  of  the 
negatives,  I  have  not  been  able  to  produce  the  photo¬ 
graphs.  Air.  AVyllie  posted  them,  but  unfortunately. 
Air.  Standfast  never  received  them.  The  photographs 
were  too  precious  to  forward  with  the  account  given 
of  them. 

In  his  article  in  The  Two  Worlds,  Air.  Standfast 
says : — 

I  had  read  notices  of  Air.  AVyllie ’s  gifts,  and  not 
finding  his  address,  I  sent  to  Air.  Alorse  a  package 
containing  a  lock  of  hair  and  letters,  one  to  Air. 
AVyllie  and  one  to  my  wife,  who  had  gone  to  the 
“other  side”  about  two  years  before.  I  furnished 
no  information  about  age  or  cause  of  death,  but  asked 
Air.  AVyllie  to  do  the  best  he  was  able  for  me  under 
the  circumstances. 

The  letter  to  my  wife  contained  words  to  this  effect : 


EXPERIMENT  WITH  MR.  WYLLIE  283 


“You  know  we  have  seen  spirit  photos  before,  at  the 
time  of  the  Gurneys’  Studio  law  suit  in  New  York 
some  years  ago.  Now  I  want  to  express  plainly  that 
the  extremely  accurate  likeness  to  the  earthly  person 
was  a  sort  of  disappointment  to  me — it  looked  so 
earthlike.  A  photo  sometimes  takes  you  at  your  best, 
even  idealising,  as  everyone  knows ;  sometimes  at  your 
worst,  and  both  are  exact.  Now,  I  want  you  to  give 
me  one  of  yourself  at  your  best,  or  as  you  are  now.  if 
that  be  a  possible  thing.  I  do  not  dictate  what  I 
know  nothing  about,  but  just  request  this  as  definitely 
as  I  can,  so  my  thought  may  be  clear  to  you  on  the 
other  side  of  the  veil.  I  am  not  wishing  for  an  an¬ 
atomical  duplicate  of  the  fleshly  face.  1  want  a  por¬ 
trait  of  the  being.” 

I  received  a  photo  depicting  my  letter  addressed  to 
my  wife  attached  to  a  dark  screen.  Enderneath  the 
letter,  in  the  light  hand  corner,  was  a  painfully  accu¬ 
rate  portrait  of  my  wife  as  she  was  a  few  days  be¬ 
fore  her  death.  She  was  tortured  to  death  by  cancer, 
which  wasted  the  flesh  off  her  body,  and  was  72  years 
of  age.  'Above  the  letter,  in  the  left  hand  corner,  is  a. 
portrait  of  her  at  about  30  or  35  years  of  age,  except 
there  is  a  sort  of  serenity  of  expression,  and  a  deep, 
penetrating  or  soul  searching  look  about  the  eyes, 
very  difficult  to  describe. 

The  features  are  exact  in  all  details.  Noticeable 
is  the  way  she  has  fixed  up  her  hair.  She  would  curl 
her  hair  in  a  particular  manner,  not  in  her  everyday 
style,  but  curled  all  over  her  head  and  down  the  fore¬ 
head.  When  finished,  she  would  come  and  look  at 
me  straight  in  the  eye,  to  see  if  I  really  admired  it. 
•(Being  an  artist,  and  she  having  good  features,  I 
preferred  the  classic  style.)  T  used  to  laugh  at  her 
earnestness  over  decoration,  and  tell  her  she  was 
beautiful  in  any  style. 

When  I  saw  this  photo  I  could  not  help  smiling, 
and  thought  1  could  see  the  personal  effort  to  please 
me.  answer  my  request,  and  put  me  in  mind  of  other 


284  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


times,  and  to  show  me  that  is  how  she  is  now.  The 
actual  and  well  known  features  and  the  idealised 
expression  are  complete. 

In  the  portrait  showing  the  face  at  the  latest  period 
there  is  the  shoulder  on  one  side  down  to  the  breast, 
given  with  a  dress  she  sometimes  wore  of  a  peculiar 
pattern  which  I  could  identify  in  the  dark.  It  is 
pleated  or  folded  or  embossed  or  raised,  I  don’t  know 
the  proper  feminine  name  for  such  work,  but  it  is  not 
printed,  and  not  what  any  lady  might  happen  to 
have,  because  it  was  arranged  by  herself  for  occasional 
wear.  It  would  be  a  difficult  matter  for  me  to  think 
of  any  particular  thing  I  could  ask  for  in  the  way  of 
a  so-called  “test,”  more  than  what  is  given  in  these 
portraits  of  my  wife. 

I  wrote  again  to  Mr.  Wyllie,  enclosing  a  lock  of 
hair,  and  another  letter  to  my  wife,  asking  for  a 
three-quarter  view,  (for  a  particular  reason.)  In 
ilue  course  I  received  another  photo.  The  second  let¬ 
ter  was  made  fast  to  a  dark  sheet,  and  at  the  lower 
right  hand  coiner  was  a  repetition  of  the  first  por¬ 
trait,  with  some  little  change,  but  above  the  envelope 
to  the  right  was  a  portrait  of  a  little  child  who  left 
us  at  an  early  age,  showing  as  far  down  as  the  shoul¬ 
der,  unusually  wide,  a  characteristic  feature  (over 
each  spirit  portrait  there  is  a  radiance.) 

Now,  in  regard  to  this  latter,  about  this  same  period 
I  had  written  to  Miss  Florence  Morse,  asking  her  if 
she  would  kindly  try  to  get  something  for  me  from 
my  wife.  I  enclosed  a  letter  to  my  wife,  part  of 
which  was  written  in  shorthand,  asking  her  to  give 
me  some  news  about  that  child  in  any  way  she  could 
find  possible.  I  may  say  it  causes  no  particular  strain 
on  the  imagination  to  feel  that  she  sent  me  this  por¬ 
trait  in  reply.  I  have  written  in  shorthand  and 
various  languages  to  spirits  and  find  it  does  not  make 
any  difference  what  language  you  use;  they  receive 
the  sense,  if  it  is  clearly  defined ! 

Such  personal  points  as  these  are  more  satisfying 


EXPERIMENT  WITH  MR.  WYLLIE  285 


and  convincing-  to  a  plain  mind  like  mine  than  years 
of  lectures  and  stacks  of  hypotheses.  I  only  know 
that  anybody  exists  by  their  personal  characteristics 
and  the  personal  phenomena  attending  them,  intel¬ 
lectual  or  physical,  whether  the  other  side  of  a  wall, 
at  the  end  of  a  telephone  wire,  or  in  what  we  call 
another  world,  but  which  is  only  another  state  of 
being.  Nothing  at  all  can  be  proved  anywhere  in 
the  universe  except  by  corroborative  evidence.  I 
have  had  a  very  gratifying  experience  and  want  to 
make  it  as  widespread  as  I  can. 

Henry  Standfast. 

Belize,  British  Honduras,  Central  America. 

Please  note  that  the  photographer  was  a  stranger 
residing  at  a  distance  of  over  5,000  miles  from  Belize, 
and  the  nexus  was  a  lock  of  hair  in  each  case.  See 
Chapter  XVII  on  “Most  Favourable  Conditions.” 

TRANSITION  OF  MR.  EDWARD  WYEEIE 

Mr.  Wyllie  passed  to  the  Higher  Life  on  April  10th, 
1911,  in  his  63rd  year. 

Although  barely  a  month  with  us  in  Rothesay  dur¬ 
ing  September  and  October,  1909,  it  was  long  enough 
for  us  to  appreciate  his  quiet  heroism  and  his  genuine 
medial  gifts.  From  experimentation  in  our  home,  I 
gleaned  a  keen  insight  to  his  character  and  our  sym¬ 
pathies  unasked  went  out  to  him.  Coming  from  the 
summer  land  of  California,  although  in  moderately 
fair  health  when  he  arrived  in  Rothesay,  he  soon  suf¬ 
fered  severely  from  the  cold  weather  and  almost  per¬ 
petual  rain  and  fog  which  he  experienced  during  his 
stay  in  Glasgow.  There  he  had  an  attack  from  his 


286  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


old  enemy,  malarial  fever,  contracted  many  years  ago, 
and  in  Edinburgh  he  was  again  attacked  with  in¬ 
fluenza,  and  he  went  an  invalid  to  Manchester  and 
never  really  recovered. 

Mr.  Wyllie,  after  an  eventful  and  most  varied  life, 
and  considerable  prosperity  till  he  became  a  medium, 
was  at  the  zenith  of  his  power  as  a  psychic  when  he 
lost  all  save  his  life  and  his  mediumship  at  the  great 
San  Francisco  earthquake.  Due  to  that  and  the  ex¬ 
posure  and  hardships  in  the  Public  Park,  his  wife, 
Mrs.  Louie  Wyllie,  died  six  months  afterwards,  and 
all  trace  of  his  son  Willie  Avas  lost  since  the  disaster. 
Mr.  Wyllie  concealed  the  fact,  but  it  Avas  evident  he 
neA^er  got  over  the  mental  shocks  sustained. 

I  am  inclined  to  think  that  Ave  in  Rothesay  and 
perhaps  the  friends  in  Glasgow  obtained  whatever 
Avas  best  in  his  mediumship,  but  after  the  illnesses  con¬ 
tracted  in  Glasgow  and  Edinburgh,  I  do  not  think 
he  ever  was  the  same.  He  concealed  his  ill-health  to 
the  last  from  his  relatives  and  wrote  a  pleasant  letter 
to  his  sister  a  short  time  before  his  last  attack. 
Throughout  all  his  trouble  he  remained  the  quiet  suf¬ 
ferer  and  the  gentleman.  He  had  been  a  captain  in 
the  NeAv  Zealand  A.  C.  and  took  an  active  part  in  the 
Maori  campaign.  He  Avas  of  the  Scotch  family  of 
Wyllies,  who,  as  statesmen  and  soldiers  have  been 
connected  with  India  for  over  a  hundred  years.  The 
Late  Lieut. -Col.  Sir  W.  H.  Curzon  Wyllie,  K.  C.  I.  E., 
C.  V.  O.,  who  Avas  shot  in  London,  was  his  cousin.  Mr. 
Wyllie  was  born  in  Calcutta  in  1848,  his  father  being 


EXPERIMENT  WITH  MR.  WYLLIE 


287 


the  late  Colonel  Robert  Wyllie,  of  Elderslie,  North 
Devon,  who  was  for  many  years  Military  Secretary  to 
the  Government  of  India. 

With  his  departure  the  last  of  our  gifted  profes¬ 
sional  mediums  for  photography  is  gone.  Mrs.  Coates 
and  I  will  ever  cherish  pleasant  recollections  of  this 
gifted  hut  misunderstood  man. 

TESTIMONY  OF  MH.  WALTER  JONES,  STOURBRIDGE. 

Stourbridge,  19th  April,  1911. 

Dear  Mr.  Coates:  Your  letter  of  the  17th  duly  to 
hand.  Poor  Wyllie  passed  over  in  harness,  as  he  him¬ 
self  desired,  and  I  believe  it  was  infinitely  better  than 
a  lingering,  painful  illness;  so  we  will  hope  that  all 
is  for  the  best.  I  quite  agree  with  you  that  he  was 
honest,  genuine,  and  too  simple  to  be  a  fraud.  In 
fact  he  was  a  man  without  guile;  I  am  thankful  that 
I  made  his  acquaintance,  which  came  about  as  fol¬ 
lows  : 

My  first  meeting  with  Mr.  Wyllie  was  in  a  London 
hotel.  I  invited  him  to  dine  with  one  lady  and  two 
gentlemen  friends  who  were,  I  believe,  Agnostics. 
The  four  were  strangers  to  each  other.  When  we  had 
nearly  finished  dinner  I  remarked  to  them — “Our 
friend  here  is  a  psychic,  and  takes  psychic  or  spirit 
photos;  I  don’t  know  whether  he  is  clairvoyant  also.” 
lie  replied  “I  am  not  a  good  clairvoyant,  although 
I  see  things  occasionally,  but  I  am  not  the  only  clair¬ 
voyant  in  the  company.”  I  looked  at  him  and  he 
continued — “The  lady  opposite  is  also  clairvoyant; 
are  you  aware  of  it,  madam?”  “No,”  she  replied. 
“Well,  I  see  a  young  girl  by  your  side,  with  long 
curls  and  bright  blue  eyes,  looking  at  you  intently 
and  I  am  sure  you  often  see  that  girl.”  “Yes,”  she 
replied,  “that  is  my  sister  Jessie,  who  died  in  my  arms 
eighteen  years  ago.  and  1  have  seen  her  every  day 
since.”  This  was  a  greater  surprise  to  her  husband 


288  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


than  to  any  other  member  of  the  party.  With  kind 
regards,  believe  me, 

Yours  faithfully, 

Walter  Jones. 

In  concluding  my  testimony  to  Mr.  Wyllie’s  char¬ 
acter,  and  mediumship,  it  is  singular  that  at  the  close 


Fig.  67.  The  photograph  of  Mr.  W.  Walker,  with  Portrait  of 
the  Late  Mr.  Alfred  Smedley,  taken  at  the  Crewe  Circle, 
Crewe,  England,  Nov.,  1910. 

of  this  chapter  I  have  also  to  record  his  passing  into 
the  Invisible.  His  departure  has  brought  abundant 
evidence  of  his  great  gifts.  But  what  I  have  given 
must  suffice. 


EXPERIMENT  WITH  CREWE  CIRCLE  289 


As  I  have  had  abundant  testimony  to  the  fact  of 
Spirit  Photography,  obtained  at  the  “Crewe  Circle,” 
all  private  mediums — I  conclude  my  reference  to 
Spirit  Photography  by  giving  the  following: — 

The  testimony  of  Mr.  Walker,  3,  Palace  Road,  Bux¬ 
ton,  to  psychic  photography.  This  gentleman  has  been 
an  investigator  of  Spiritualism  for  twenty-five  years. 
I  cannot  do  better  than  give  a  recent  case  obtained  at 
the  Crewe  Circle,  under  test  conditions.  I  premise 
the  account  by  stating  that  although  Mr.  Walker  is  a 
Spiritualist,  he  is  also  an  old  photographer  whose  ex¬ 
perience  goes  back  to  the  beginning  of  the  wet  plate 
days.  To  this  I  add  that  the  mediums  at  this  re¬ 
markable  circle  are  non-professional— give  their  serv¬ 
ices  free  to  the  cause — but  owing  to  having  to  earn 
their  daily  bread  by  labour,  they  have  to  limit  the 
number  of  the  sittings  and  by  request  I  do  not  furnish 
their  names  and  addresses. 

Air.  Walker  says: — 

On  Nov.  7,  1910,  I  sat  with  the  Crewe  Circle,  and 
was  photographed  by  the  cainerist  of  the  Circle.  Two 
plates  were  exposed  on  me — time,  15  seconds  each, 
the  day  being  dull.  On  one  plate,  in  addition  to  other 
“extras”  is  the  portrait  of  my  friend  Mr.  Alfred 
Smedley,  late  of  Park  Mount,  Belper,  so  well  known 
years  ago  in  Spiritualism.  On  the  second  plate  Mr. 
Smedley  appears  again,  but  on  the  opposite  side  of  me, 
with  another  “extra,”  said  to  be  that  of  the  spirit 
responsible  for  the  phenomena  produced  at  this  Circle. 
The  background  used  was  the  grey  side  of  an  Ameri¬ 
can  cloth  table  cover,  and  the  plates  were  mine. 

I  purchased  the  plates,  which  no  one  handled  after 


290  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


the  maker  packed  them  save  myself.  In  the  dark¬ 
room  I  cut  open  the  box  and  after  carefully  examin- 


Fig.  68.  Photograph  of  Mr.  Walker  and  of  the  Late  Mr. 
Smedley  taken  on  second  plate. 

ing  the  dark  slide,  I  inserted  two  plates.  The  remain¬ 
ing  ten  plates  in  the  box  were  carried  in  my  pocket. 
The  camera,  which  I  examined,  was  empty  and  the 
lens  clean.  I  inserted  the  dark  slide.  After  exposure, 


EXPERIMENT  WITH  CREWE  CIRCLE  291 


I  took  it,  with  plates,  into  the  dark-room  and  de¬ 
veloped  the  latter  with  results  which  I  have  already 
sent  to  the  Two  Worlds.  I  now  send  you  the  photo¬ 
graphs,  which  I  have  enlarged  at  your  request,  for 
“Photographing  The  Invisible.”  The  camerist  with¬ 
drew  the  shutters  and  made  the  exposure,  hut  neither 
lie  nor  anyone  else  touched  the  plates.  Apart  from 
the  signed  certificate  obtained  from  all  present  as  to 
the  facts  recorded,  my  confidence  in  Mr.  Walker’s 
skill  and  honesty  is  unbounded  and  his  evidence  suffi¬ 
cient. 

Mr.  Alfred  Smedley  and  Mr.  W.  Walker  were  life¬ 
long  friends  and  there  can  be  no  doubt  as  to  identifica¬ 
tion.  But  since  receiving  the  foregoing  account,  I 
have  obtained  the  following: — 

Derby  Road,  Helper, 

April  8,  1911. 

Certificate. 

I  have  much  pleasure  in  certifying  that  the  Spirit 
photographs  taken  with  Mr.  Walker  at  Crewe  in 
November  last,  are  of  my  father,  the  ascended  Alfred 
Smedley,  and  also  that  the  portraits  are  identified  by 
the  undersigned,  whose  names  are  appended  to  this 
certificate. 

Lilian  R.  Smkdley. 

Thomas  F.  Smedley,  Derby  Road,  Helper. 

Geo.  Wheeldon,  Joseph  Street,  Helper. 

II Y.  Wigley,  Bridge  Street,  Helper. 


CHAPTER  XIII 


PORTRAITS  PAINTED  BY  INVISIBLE  ARTISTS 

For  years  I  have  heard  and  read  of  the  medium- 
ship  of  the  Bangs  sisters,  of  Chicago.  They  are  as 
well  known  at  Chesterfield,  Indiana ;  Lilydale,  New 
York,  &c.,  as  at  Chicago.  Consequently  they  have 
been  tested  in  the  exercise  of  their  mediumship  in 
residences  not  their  own.  Although  super-normally 
produced,  “spirit-paintings  and  portraits”  stand 
apart  from  psychic  photography.  I  thought,  as  the 
agents  for  their  production — intelligent  operators  in 
the  Invisible — were  identical,  it  might  be  possible  that 
a  little  research  would  reveal  a  similarity  in  the  laws 
underlying  both  the  paintings  and  the  photographs. 
It  has.  This  will  be  seen  in  the  agreement  running 
through  the  statements  made  by  various  reputable  per¬ 
sons  in  their  letters.  It  must  be  borne  in  mind  that 
the  writers  are  unknown  to  each  other.  I  have  pur¬ 
posely  selected  as  evidence  the  testimonies  of  reputa¬ 
ble  persons  in  centres  as  wide  apart  as  the  United 
States,  Canada,  India  and  Great  Britain.  For  obvious 
reasons,  the  greater  number  of  the  writers  and  the 
attestations  are  American. 

The  Bangs  sisters  have  been  mediums  since  child- 

292 


PORTRAITS  RY  INVISIBLE  ARTISTS  293 


hood,  but  it  was  not  till  the  Autumn  of  1894,  that 
they  began  to  get  spirit  paintings.  It  was  necessary 
to  curtain  the  canvas,  or  place  it  in  a  dark  chamber, 


p  p  1 

|U  j 

klip  J  I, 

Fig.  69.  The  manner  of  sitting  for  portrait  painting.  In  a 
well-lighted  room,  the  canvas  selected  by  the  sitter  is 
held  at  the  cornel’s  by  one  or  both  those  mediums.  The 
whole  results  from  the  beginning  clouds  to  the  finished 
portrait  witnessed  by  the  sitter  or  sitters. 


and  several  sittings  were  required  to  finish  one  pic¬ 
ture.  Then  locked  boxes  were  used,  but  all  these 
processes,  where  the  canvases  were  out  of  the  sight 
and  control,  so  to  speak,  of  the  visitors,  suggested  the 


1294  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


possibilities  of  fraudulent  procedure,  and  of  charges 
made  to  that  effect.  Latterly  the  pictures,  have  been 
obtained  in  broad  daylight,  and  are  finished  in  one 
sitting,  lasting  about  twenty  to  forty  minutes. 

The  room  is  shaded  sufficiently  to  cause  all  the  light 
from  the  window  to  pass  through  the  canvas,  thus 
enabling  the  sitter  to  witness  the  development  and 
detect  the  least  change  in  the  shadows. 

No  two  sittings  are  exactly  alike.  Usually  in  the 
development  of  a  portrait  the  outer  edges  of  the  can¬ 
vas  becomes  shadowed,  showing  different  delicately 
coloured  lines,  until  the  full  outline  of  the  head  and 
shoulders  is  seen.  AVhen  the  likeness  is  sufficiently 
distinct  to  be  recognised,  the  hair,  drapery  and  other 
decorations  appear.  In  many  eases,  after  the  entire 
portrait  is  finished,  the  eyes  gradually  open,  giving  a 
life-like  appearance", to  the  whole  face. 

,  I.Wv,  ,,  ; 

The  above  statement  (by  Miss  May  Bangs,  in  letter, 
17  Sept.,  1910)  is  supported  by  the  letters  and  state¬ 
ments  produced. 

In  spirit  photography,  as  much  of  the  processes  do 
not  lend  themselves  to  the  observation  of  the  sitters, 
this  rare  phenomenon  of  portraits  painted  by  Invisi¬ 
bles  is  enhanced  by  the  fact  that  all  the  work  can  be 
followed  from  the  purchase  of  the  canvases  to  the 
“precipitation”  of  the  finished  portrait. 

There  are  two  styles  of  work.  For  the  more  deli¬ 
cate  and  spiritual  and  symbolical  pictures,  the  spirit 
artists  furnish  their  own  colouring  matter,  but  for 
the  usual  portraiture,  coloured  French  pastels  are 
placed  in  front  of  the  canvas  and  these  are  used  by 
the  spirit  artists — by  a  process  called  “precipitation.” 


PORTRAITS  BY  INVISIBLE  ARTISTS  295 


The  effects  are  harmonious,  and  the  refined  blending 
truer  to  Nature  than  if  similar  portraits  were  pro¬ 
duced  by  material  portrait  painters. 

I  now  give  a  few  concrete  cases  from  their  medium- 
ship  : — 

Statement  by  Mr.  John  W.  Payne,  director  of  the 
Citizens’  Bank,  New  Castle,  Indiana. 

This  gentleman  went  to  the  Chesterfield  Camp  in 
1905,  and  obtained  the  picture  of  his  own  father,  who 
had  died  14  years  previously.  I  summarise  the  State¬ 
ment  furnished  in  The  Light  of  Truth,  9th  Septem¬ 
ber,  1905:— 

It  was  made  in  the  daytime  in  an  ordinary 
room  that  was  not  darkened.  The  frame  con¬ 
taining  the  canvas  set  on  a  stand  before  the  win¬ 
dow.  Mrs.  Charles  Payne  and  Mrs.  John  AVees- 
ner,  who  do  not  believe  in  Spiritualism  were 
with  me,  and  we  sat  within  five  feet  of  the  pic¬ 
ture.  The  two  Bangs  sisters,  the  mediums 
through  whom  the  likeness  was  produced,  sat  on 
either  side  of  the  table  and  supported  the  frame, 
each  with  one  hand.  No  brushes,  paint,  crayon, 
or  other  substance  of  any  kind  was  used  as  far 
as  we  could  tell,  and  it  was  light  enough  to  have 
seen  a  pin  on  the  table.  The  sisters  had  never 
seen  or  heard  of  my  father,  nor  a  photograph  or 
likeness  of  him.  All  they  ashed  was  that  /  fix 
his  features  in  my  mind.  (Italics  mine.  J.  C.) 
The  picture  was  not  made  in  spots  or  a  little  at 


296  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


a  time.  At  first  it  was  a  faint  shadow,  then  a 
wave  appeared  to  sweep  across  the  canvas,  and 
the  likeness  became  plainer.  It  was  a  good  deal 
like  a  sunrise — got  brighter  until  it  was  perfectly 
plain  and  every  feature  visible.  Until  the  pic¬ 
ture  was  completed,  the  eyes  were  closed  and  then 
they  opened  all  at  once,  like  a  person  awakening. 

It  did  not  take  more  than  a  half  hour,  and  is  the 
best  picture  of  my  father  we  ever  had.  I  do  not 
pretend  to  say  how  it  was  done,  simply  that  the 
picture  was  produced  before  our  eyes  without  the 
mediums  having  ever  seen  a  photograph  or  other 
copy. 

This  picture  of  the  late  Mr.  John  Payne  is  now 
hanging  in  the  Citizens’  Bank,  and  the  owner  of 
the  portrait  is  a  level-headed  business  man  and 
one  of  the  most  substantial  in  Spiceland,  Indiana. 

THE  TESTIMONY  OF  A  CHICAGO  BUSINESS  MAN. 

Edward  G.  Pierce,  12007  Eggleston  Avenue,  Chi¬ 
cago,  writes : — 

In  less  than  half  an  hour  I  recognised  the  picture 
of  my  nephew,  in  life-like  colours.  There  was  no  pic¬ 
ture  of  the  child  present.  The  only  picture  ever 
taken  of  him  was  about  three  years  before  he  passed 
away,  and  this  was  in  possession  of  his  folks,  ten 
miles  from  the  psychic’s  home.  His  mother  readily 
recognised  the  spirit-picture  as  a  true  likeness  of 
her  boy  as  he  appeared  just  before  he  passed  out.  It 
proves  to  us  that  our  boy  still  lives  and  is  with  us 
the  same  as  when  in  earthly  form. 

The  Testimony  of  Mr.  Lyman  C.  Howe,  a  Noted 
American  Writer  and  Lecturer,  who  says: — 


PORTRAITS  BY  INVISIBLE  ARTISTS  297 


There  were  two  photographs  of  Maude  enclosed  in 
a  sealed  envelope  and  placed  against  the  lower  back 
side  of  the  canvas.  These  had  not  been  opened  or  in 
any  way  exposed  to  view  until  the  sitting  was  closed. 
The  sisters  had  never  seen  her,  and  so  far  as  I  know 
and  believe,  they  had  never  seen  her  photo.  The  pic¬ 
ture  is  unlike  either  photo,  and  is  more  perfect  and 
lifelike  than  any  photograph  she  ever  had.  I  mentally 
asked  her  to  have  a  yellow  rose  in  her  hair,  and  to 
write  her  name,  “Maude,”  on  the  lower  margin,  and 
when  the  picture  came  out,  the  rose  appeared  in  the 
hair,  and  “Maude”  is  written  on  the  lower  margin, 
as  I  mentally  requested.  I  did  not  tell  anyone  of  the 
request  until  the  picture  was  finished.  It  is  the  most 
beautiful  ana  satisfactory  phenomenon  I  ever  wit¬ 
nessed. 

THE  TESTIMONY  OP  VICE-ADMIRAL  W.  USBORNE  MOORE. 

8  WESTERN  PARADE,  SOUTHSEA,  HANTS. 

I  know  of  no  one  in  Great  Britain  in  whose  powers 
of  observation  I  could  place  greater  reliance  than 
those  of  Admiral  Moore.  This  distinguished  Naval 
Officer  occupied  several  important  positions  and 
served  the  Government  of  his  country  in  command  of 
warships  specially  fitted  out  for  scientific  research — 
which  need  not  he  detailed  here — all  of  which  re¬ 
dounded  to  his  credit,  and  received  his  country’s 
thanks. 

In  writing  to  me,  of  date,  18th  July,  1910,  the  Ad¬ 
miral  expresses  the  utmost  confidence  in  these  re¬ 
markable  mediums: — 

Since  I  returned  from  America  (he  says)  a  con¬ 
juror,  Mr.  W.  Marriott,  has  endeavoured  to  prove  to 
me  that  the  pictures  precipitated  in  the  presence  of 


298  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


the  Bangs  sisters  are  fraudulent.  The  result  of  our 
many  conferences  has  been  to  confirm  me  in  my  orig¬ 
inal  belief.  I  have  six  pictures  here  which  I  should 
have  much  pleasure  in  showing  you,  if  you  are  ever 
down  here. 

In  his  second  favour,  dated  21st  July,  1910,  refer- 
ing  to  his  articles  in  Light ,  the  gallant  Admiral 
writes : 

The  Bangs  sisters  are  quite  genuine.  There  was  a 
suspicion  about  them  last  August  (1909),  but  all  was 
satisfactorily  cleared  up.* 

In  looking  up  the  tiles  of  Light,  I  have  omitted  ref¬ 
erences  to  his  other  experiences  with  these  mediums 
and  have  taken  the  Admiral’s  account,  which  I  con¬ 
dense,  of  how  he  obtained  the  spirit-portrait  of  his 
wife. 

The  next  day  a  portrait  was  precipitated  on  to  a 
Steinbach  canvas  within  two  feet  of  me.  The  Bangs 
sisters  each  held  one  side  of  the  canvas,  which  was 
put  up  against  the  window,  while  I  sat  between  them 
and  watched  the  face  and  form  gradually  appear.  A 
few  minutes  after  they  began  to  appear,  the  psychics 
(apparently  under  impression)  lowered  the  canvas 
toward  me  until  it  touched  my  breast.  Mary  Bangs 
then  got  a  message  by  Morse  alphabet  on  the  table : 
‘Your  wife  is  more  accustomed  to  see  me  in  the  other 
aspect.  ’  Up  went  the  canvas  again  and  I  saw  the  pro- 

*1  have  made  a  special  study  of  the  trial  in  1909  of  Mary 
Bangs  for  violating  section  2  of  an  Ordinance  passed  by  the 
City  of  Chicago,  on  the  16th  day  of  December,  1907,  against 
the  practice  of  mediumship,  and  obtaining  money  for  so  do¬ 
ing,  &c.  Although,  and  most  conclusively,  no  fraudulent  prac¬ 
tices  were  proven,  the  lady  was  fined.  Not  only  so,  but  sub¬ 
sequently,  the  false  evidence  led  against  the  lady  was  thor¬ 
oughly  exposed.— The  Author. 


PORTRAITS  BY  INVISIBLE  ARTISTS  299 


file  and  bust,  but  turned  round  in  the  opposite  direc¬ 
tion  ;  instead  of  the  face  looking  to  the  right,  it  was 
looking  to  the  left.  The  portrait  then  proceeded  apace, 
until  all  the  details  were  filled  in.  and  in  twenty-five 
minutes  it  was  practically  finished.  Beyond  a  little 
deepening  of  the  colour,  and  touches  here  and  there 
by  the  invisible  artist,  the  picture  is  the  same  now  as 
when  we  arose  from  the  table.  The  precipitated  por¬ 
trait  is  very  much  like  a  photograph  of  the  person, 
taken  35  years  ago  (shortly  before  death)  that  I  had 
in  my  pocket  during  the  sitting,  (The  italics  are  mine. 
J.  C.),  but  which  the  Bangs,  of  course,  had  never  seen. 
The  expression  of  the  face,  however,  is  far  more 
ethereal  and  satisfied  than  in  the  photo. 

These  instances  are  but  two  out  of  many  manifesta¬ 
tions  I  witnessed  at  the  Bangs  sister’s  house. 

I  learn  that  in  all  precipitation  the  portrait  appears 
on  the  side  next  the  sitter.  Admiral  Moore,  referring 
to  one  beautiful  full-length  portrait  which  he  ob¬ 
tained,  says: — 

On  this  occasion  the  canvases  arrived  from  the 
shop  wet,  and  we  had  to  wait  half  an  hour  for  them 
to  dry.  The  next  day  I  went  to  the  shop  and  com¬ 
plained.  The  women  who  attended  said,  ‘The  boy 
who  brought  your  order  said  you  wanted  stretched 
canvases.  When  he  came  to  take  them  away,  we 
found  he  wanted  the  paper  as  well,  so  we  put  it  on 
at  once,  and  of  course  they  left  the  shop  wet.’  I 
relate  this  little  incident  for  the  benefit  of  those  who 
vainly  imagine  that  the  phenomenon  of  ‘precipitation’ 
may  be  due  to  normal  causes. 

As  the  gallant  Admiral  will  soon  publish  his  com¬ 
plete  experiences  with  these  and  other  mediums,  the 
foregoing,  which  I  take  with  his  special  permission, 
will  suffice. 


300  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


Following  the  important  testimony  of  the  Vice-Ad¬ 
miral,  the  attested  evidence  of  several  intelligent  wit¬ 
nesses  will  be  appropriate.  Attention  is  called  to 
three  points. 

1st.  The  portrait  was  produced  under  test  condi¬ 
tions  ;  the  canvas  selected  by  committee. 

2nd.  A  correct,  identifiable  portrait  of  a  late  asso¬ 
ciate  was  artistically  finished  in  eight  minutes. 

3rd.  No  photograph  taken  in  life  of  the  late  Alex. 
P.  M’Kee  was  produced  as  a  probable  basis  for  the 
portrait. 

The  Bangs  sisters  are  themselves  convinced  that 
they  get  undoubted  portraits  of  spirits.  I  give  this 
case  in  illustration : — 

Chesterfield,  Indiana,  August  21,  1909. 

State  of  Indiana,  Madison  County,  S.  S. 

Tom  O’Neill,  President  of  the  Indiana  Associa- 
tion  of  Spiritualists;  James  Millspaugh,  Vice-Presi¬ 
dent  of  said  Association ;  Lydia  Jessup,  Secretary  of 
said  Association ;  Henry  Bronnenberg,  Treasurer  of 
said  Association;  and  Rebecca  M’Kee,  J.  M.  AValker, 
S.  J.  Louiso  and  Lewis  Johnson,  Trustees  of  said 
Association,  being  duly  sworn,  upon  their  oath  de¬ 
pose  and  say.  That  on  the  20th  day  of  August.  1909, 
they  were  present  at  a  seance  held  by  the  Bangs  sis¬ 
ters  under  test  conditions,  for  these  affiants  above  to 
receive  a  portrait  of  some  former  member  of  said 
Association,  deceased,  which  portrait  is  to  become 
the  property  of  said  Association,  to  be  hung  in  the 
auditorium ;  that  these  affiants  witnessed  the  develop¬ 
ment  of  said  portrait,  which  portrait  they  recognised 
as  the  portrait  of  Alex.  P.  M’Kee,  a  former  member 
and  Treasurer  of  the  said  Association ;  that  said  pic¬ 
ture  was  developed  upon  a  canvas,  or  stretcher  on  a 


PORTRAITS  BY  INVISIBLE  ARTISTS  301 


frame,  which  stretcher  and  frame  were  selected  by 
one  of  these  affiants  from  an  assortment  of  such  arti¬ 
cles,  all  similar  in  form  and  appearance,  without  any 
suggestion  or  indication  from  the  said  Bangs  sisters ; 
that  said  portrait  developed  upon  said  canvas  or 
stretcher  in  the  period  of  eight  minutes  within  the 
full  view  of  all  of  these  affiants,  in  daylight ;  and 
affiants  further  say  that  they  are  firmly  convinced 
that  said  portrait  was  so  developed  by  spirit  powers 
solely,  and  that  no  human,  earthly  agency  contributed 
to  the  development  of  said  portrait.  That  said  affiants 
recognise  in  said  portrait  the  excellent  likeness  of 
the  said  Alex.  P.  M’Kee. 

Tom  O’Neill,  President. 

James  Millspaugh,  Vice-President 

Lydia  Jessup,  Secretary. 

IIenry  Bronnenberg,  Treasurer. 

Rebecca  L.  M’Kee. 

S.  J.  Louiso. 

J.  M.  Walker. 

Lewis  Johnson. 

Trustees. 

Subscribed  and  sworn  to  before  me,  this  21st 
day  of  August,  1909. 

(Stal).  William  Rowland,  Notary  Public. 

(My  commission  expires  March  15th,  1913.) 


The  following  Letter  of  Experience  is  from  Mrs. 
Gertrude  Breslau  Hunt,  a  well-known  student  of  eco¬ 
nomical  and  social  questions,  who  has  lectured  all  over 
the  United  States  on  Child  Labor,  and  other  like  evils. 
Both  for  the  supreme  interest  of  the  letter  and  the 
prominent  position  of  the  writer,  I  give  her  letter  in 
full 


302  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


1  take  great  pleasure  in  telling  the  story  of  iny 
investigations  into  the  phenomena  of  Spiritualism, 
begun  only  three  months  ago,  yet  revealing  so  much ! 
I  was  a  skeptic  until  that  time,  regarding  the  few 
people  I  knew  who  believed  in  such  things,  with  pity, 
perhaps  slightly  mixed  with  contempt,  for  their  ab¬ 
normal  credulity  and  imagination.  I  am  therefore 
all  the  more  anxious  to  make  expiation  for  my  former 
prejudice  and  dogmatism.  After  years  of  study  and 
thought,  I  had  given  up  the  belief  in  a  continued  life 
after  death ;  but  last  October,  a  dear  friend,  a  loyal 
comrade,  a  brilliant,  but  martyred  friend  of  humanity, 
passed  out  under  circumstances  so  terribly  sad  as  to 
make  his  life  a  supreme  tragedy.  I  had  looked  death 
in  the  eye  for  months  that  same  year,  and  never 
quailed  for  myself,  but  now  death  seemed  a  terrible 
monster.  If  a  beautiful  and  noble  life  of  service  and 
love  toward  humanity  could  be  ended  in  such  fash¬ 
ion  ;  broken  heart,  wrecked  hopes,  ignominy  and  neg¬ 
lect  heaped  upon  him,  when  the  natural  and  just 
reward  should  be  love,  honor,  health,  long  life  and 
‘every  good  and  perfect  gift,’  I  said  to  myself,  ‘If 
this  be  all,  life  is  not  worth  living,  I  could  only  die 
damning  so  terrible  a  universe.  I  dare  not  wait  to 
see  my  beloved  husband  and  precious  mother  face 
such  awful  exigencies.’  In  this  hour  of  anguish  the 
thought  came  of  the  claims  of  Spiritualism,  and  now 
I  decided  to  ‘  investigate.  ’  I  went  to  the  best  mediums 
and  there  learned  that  I  was  wise.  While  the  body 
of  oiir  friend  and  comrade  was  being  cremated,  I  went 
to  the  Bangs  Sisters  and  asked  for  a  letter.  I  wrote 
four  questions  addressed  to  my  friend,  folded  five 
blank  sheets  of  paper  around  my  note,  sealed  all  in 
an  envelope,  and  placed  it  between  two  slates,  in 
broad  daylight ;  put  strong  rubber  bands  about  the 
slates,  and  never  took  my  eye  off  it  where  it  lay  be¬ 
fore  me  on  a  bare  oak  table,  and  under  my  hand. 
After  a  time,  Miss  Bangs,  who  sat  back  in  her  chair, 
not  touching  the  slate,  said  I  might  open  the  enve- 


PORTRAITS  BY  INVISIBLE  ARTISTS  303 


lope.  I  saw  the  writing  through  the  envelope  before 
I  tore  it  open,  for  it  was  sealed  and  the  seal  undis¬ 
turbed.  I  kept  up  my  investigations  and  finally  de¬ 
cided,  with  the  consent  and  co-operation  of  friends 
upon  getting  a  spirit-portrait  of  our  comrade,  espe¬ 
cially  for  a  memorial  meeting  we  proposed  to  hold  for 
him.  To  me,  this  transcends  all  other  phenomena,  for 
you  have  something  you  can  retain,  carry  away  with 
you,  and  show  to  friends,  and  relate  the  wonder  of 
seeing  it  produced. 

I  informed  myself  of  the  devices  claimed  to  be  em¬ 
ployed  in  certain  newspaper  “exposures.”  I  learned 
that  the  only  negative  of  the  deceased  was  destroyed, 
and  I  held  the  only  copy  in  this  State.  I  examined 
floor,  table,  windows  and  every  part  of  the  room,  and 
selected  a  life-sized  canvas  from  a  lot  of  fifteen  or 
twenty.  It  was  placed  in  a  window  and  I  sat  facing 
the  canvas.  I  did  not  remove  my  eyes  from  the  can¬ 
vas,  and  would  stake  everything  I  possess  that  no  hand 
touched  that  canvas  after  I  placed  it  in  the  bright 
light  of  the  window,  until  the  picture  was  finished. 
Three  pairs  of  eyes  showed  on  the  canvas  at  once  in 
different  poses  and  places.  The  background  appeared 
first,  as  though  successive  layers  of  dust  had  been 
thrown  on,  then  in  a  few  minutes  the  whole  face  ap¬ 
peared,  with  the  colors  of  life.  I  criticised  the  pose, 
and  asked  for  a  full  face  view.  The  whole  face  faded 
out  and  was  rapidly  sketched  again.  I  was  requested 
to  take  the  picture  out  and  set  it  on  the  floor  in  such 
a  light  as  it  would  be  likely  to  have  when  finally 
placed.  I  did  so,  and  remarked  that  the  hair  was  too 
light,  and  there,  where  it  sat,  I  saw  the  shadows  creep 
into  the  waves  of  hair  and  it  darkened.  I  asked  that 
more  color  be  put  into  the  cheeks  and  the  canvas 
blushed  to  the  tint  it  now  bears.  The  sleeves  of  the 
robe  were  corrected  and  in  two  hours  the  picture  was 
complete,  and  a  competent  artist  has  stated  that  he 
could  not  finish  such  a  picture  in  less  than  three  days, 
working  eigh  t  hours  each. 


304  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


The  mediums  did  not  know  the  name  of  the  person, 
whether  man  or  woman,  had  never  seen  or  known  Dr. 
Burson,  never  saw  the  'photograph,  and  had  no  chance 
to  copy  it.  (The  italics  are  mine. — J.  C.)  I  am  there¬ 
fore  forced  to  conclude  that  life  continues  after  death 
and  that  we  may  receive  messages  and  that  this  por¬ 
trait  is  a  spirit-portrait.  I  have  had  many  other  con¬ 
vincing  evidence,  some  of  them  in  other  cities  where 
no  one  could  possibly  know  anything  of  me.  Nothing- 
lias  brought  me  so  much  happiness,  except  the  hope  of 
the  Co-operative  Commonwealth  and  the  resulting 
abolition  of  poverty  and  incentive  to  crime,  when  I 
believe  we  shall  all  “feel  the  soul  within  us  climb,” 
and  reach  heights  scarce  dreamed  of  now,  and  prob¬ 
ably  evolve,  so  that  each  may  communicate  with  those 
in  the  spirit  world  without  the  aid  of  any  other 
medium. 

Norwood  Park,  ill. 

Here  we  tind  the  spirit  artists  i  esponding  to  the 
express  wishes  of  the  still  embodied  friend  of  the  de¬ 
parted,  and  they  comply  with  her  wishes  and  also  pro¬ 
duce  as  a  spirit-portrait  a  picture  which  can  be,  and 
was,  identified  by  a  photograph  taken  in  earth  life  of 
the  late  Dr.  Burson.  It  does  not  make  the  spirit  (pro¬ 
duced)  portrait  any  the  less  valuable,  but  more  so, 
that  Mrs.  Hunt  possessed  a  clear  mental  vision  of  the 
departed,  and  its  independent  identification  from  the 
unseen,  but  solitary  print  in  that  lady’s  possession 
strengthens  the  evidence.  At  this  stage  the  question 
arises :  Are  these  spirit-portraits  the  portraits  of  spir¬ 
its  in  disearnate  state,  or  are  they  the  portraits  of 
something  which  exists— although  invisible — on  the 
psycho-metaphysical  plane  ? 


PORTRAITS  BY  INVISIBLE  ARTISTS  305 


Elsewhere  I  have  given  the  Statement  of  his  Hon¬ 
our  Judge  Levi  Mock,  of  Duffton,  Indiana,  concerning 
psychic  photographs  which  he  obtained  of  relatives, 
and  of  a  dog,  at  Chesterfield  Camp,  through  the  me- 
dtumship  of  Mr.  Frank  Foster.  In  this  I  give  his  ex¬ 
perience,  and  that  of  a  friend  who  obtained  a  portrait, 
at  the  same  Camp,  through  the  Bangs  Sisters.  Dr. 
J.  H.  Annis,  whose  article  to  The  Light  of  Truth,  16th 
Sept.,  1905,  I  condense,  says : — 

The  Judge  selected  a  canvas  from  a  pile  of  fifty  or 
more  on  which  the  picture  was  to  be  made.  This  was 
all  the  preparation  necessary.  One  of  the  sisters  sat 
on  either  side  of  an  ordinary  center  table,  supporting 
the  mounted  canvas  by  one  hand,  while  the  bright 
sunlight  shone  in  through  the  open  window.  Mr.  Rip¬ 
ley  and  Judge  Mock  sat  directly  in  front  of  and  about 
four  feet  from  the  canvas.  In  this  position  they 
watched  the  development  of  the  picture.  First,  the 
outline  appeared,  then  disappeared.  Then  it  came 
again  and  continued  to  grow  brighter,  life-like  fea¬ 
tures  filling  in.  The  eyes  were  closed;  but  to  their 
surprise,  they  suddenly  opened,  and  gave  an  expres¬ 
sion  to  the  face  that  they  felt  that  it  ought  to  speak. 
Up  to  this  time,  neither  of  the  Bangs  Sisters  had  ever 
seen  the  photo  which  Mr.  Ripley  had  concealed  in  his 
pocket.  But,  upon  his  bringing  it  out,  a  comparison 
showed  an  exact  copy.  (The  italics  are  mine. — J.  C.) 
Tn  earth  life  the  friend  usually  wore  a  Masonic  pin, 
but  from  some  cause  he  did  not  happen  to  have  it  on 
when  he  sat  for  the  photo.  Mr.  Ripley  desired  it  on 
the  painting,  and  so  made  a  mental,  not  verbal,  re¬ 
quest  for  it,  and  immediately  it  appeared  upon  the 
lapel  of  the  coat,  just  as  he  used  to  wear  it.  All  this 
occupied  about  twenty  minutes. 

This  is  one  out  of  a  hundred  other  cases  I  might  re- 


306  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


late,  with  the  Bangs  Sisters,  that  are  just  as  good  in 
their  respective  eases. 

In  the  foregoing,  we  see  that  the  Artists  Invisible 
responded  to  the  mental  request,  as  well  as  producing 


Fig.  70.  Photograph  of  the  Portrait  obtained  of  a  little  Boy, 
who  passed  out  of  the  Material  Life  twu  years  previous 
to  the  Precipitation  of  the  Portrait,  and  of  whom  they 
had  absolutely  no  Likeness,  not  even  a  Kodak. 


a  portrait  of  the  deceased,  a  likeness  similar  to  that 
contained  in  an  unseen  photograph. 


PORTRAITS  BY  INVISIBLE  ARTISTS  307 


(Copy)  122  Lancaster  Ave., 

Syracuse,  N.  Y. 

Bangs  Sisters, 

Chicago,  Ill. 

Our  Dear  Friends :  For  such  we  must  call  you. 
The  painting  arrived  safely,  and  to  say  that  we  are 
both  well  pleased  with  it  does  not  half  express  our 
sentiment. 

Our  little  darling  looks  just  as  though  he  wras  ready 
to  step  down  and  out  of  the  frame,  he  is  so  natural. 
We  fully  realise  no  earthly  artist  could  possibly  pro¬ 
duce  such  wonderful  work.  One  cannot  see  where  the 
picture  is  started  or  finished,  so  perfect  is  the  blend¬ 
ing  of  the  colors. 

We  notice  the  appearance  of  a  certain  little  ring  on 
the  third  finger  of  his  left  hand,  the  partial  request 
of  his  mamma’s.  This  marvellous  work  has  been  a 
great  revelation  to  us ;  one  year  ago  we  would  hardly 
have  thought  this  manifestation  possible,  and  we  feel 
very  grateful  to  you  for  your  efforts  in  securing  for 
us  such  a  wonderfully  satisfactory  likeness. 

May  you  have  grand  success  in  all  the  coming  years 
of  your  life,  that  we  trust  the  Over-Ruling  Intelli¬ 
gence  may  prolong  to  a  ripe  old  age,  that  others  may 
have  similar  blessings  that  we  are  in  possession  of 
through  your  instrumentality. 

Very  sincerely  your  friends, 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Milford  Badgero. 


Particulars  of  the  artistically  finished  portrait  (Fig. 
71)  reached  me  from  good  sources.  It  was  on  exhibi¬ 
tion  at  Leach’s  Opera  House,  Wamego,  Pollawatomie 
County,  Kansas,  during  the  whole  month  of  April, 
1910,  where  it  was  fully  recognised  by  many  persons, 
intimate  friends  and  many  others  who  knew  the  late 
Mrs.  Leach.  The  matter  was  also  fully  reported  April 


308  PIIOTOGRAPIITNG  THE  INVISIBLE 


Fig.  71.  Photograph  of  the  spirit-painted  Portrait  of  the  late  Mrs.  Ella  Leamon-Leach,  Pro¬ 
duced  in  the  Presence  of  the  Hangs  Sisters. 


PORTRAITS  PY  INVISIBLE  ARTISTS  309 


28,  1910,  in  the  Wamigo  Reporter  in  the  town  where 
Air.  and  Mrs.  Leach  are  so  well  known. 

The  facts  of  obtaining  the  picture  are  these.  Mr. 
Louis  B.  Leach,  desirous  of  obtaining  the  portrait  of 
his  wife,  arranged  to  have  a  sitting  with  the  Bangs 
Sisters.  They  were  holding  seances  in  a  room  on  the 
fourth  floor  of  1200  Pasco,  in  Kansas  City.  Air. 
Leach  called  upon  them  at  3:40,  on  30th  March,  1910. 
Ilis  wife,  Airs.  Ella  Leamon-Leach,  had  passed  into 
the  spirit-world  little  more  than  three  years  before, 
and  her  personal  appearance  was  not  known  to  the 
mediums.  About  seven  minutes’  time  was  employed 
in  discussing  as  to  the  style  of  picture  which  would  be 
most  appreciated.  The  following  took  place.  The 
canvas,  on  a  frame,  36x48  inches,  was  selected  and 
placed  before  the  window — which  was  four  stories 
from  the  ground — in  such  a  way  that  the  light  fell 
on  the  back  of  the  framed  canvas.  The  colours  be¬ 
gan  to  develop  in  about  four  minutes,  particularly 
rose  red,  quickly  followed  by  darker  colours  and 
green.  In  thirty-five  minutes  the  picture  was  practi¬ 
cally  developed  in  the  presence  of  Mr.  Louis  B.  Leach 
and  the  Bangs  Sisters.  The  former  states: — 

No  pigments  or  colors  were  furnished.  No  human 
hand,  agency,  mechanism,  or  contrivance  rendered  any 
assistance  to  the  spirit  forces  executing  the  work.  In 
this  picture  there  are  trees,  vines  and  flowers,  with  a 
depth  of  scenery  that  is  not  often  observed  in  por¬ 
traiture.  It  is  a  striking  likeness  of  my  late  wife. 
The  dress  she  wears  is  to  me  a  well  known  study  in 
Parisian  Art  fashion.  The  hair  and  eyes  are  perfect; 
the  expression  is  hers,  and  in  this  beautiful  picture 


310  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


the  colors  of  the  trees,  vines  and  flowers  are  distinctly 
true.  I  pronounce  it  a  good  likeness  and  a  gem  of  art. 

Louis  B.  Leach. 

Since  obtaining  the  above,  Mr.  Leach,  writing  on 
April  30,  1910,  from  Warnego  State  Bank,  to  the 
Bangs  Sisters,  says : — 

I  have  engaged  a  photographer  to  take  a  negative 
of  Ella’s  picture,  and  will  send  you  a  cabinet,  as  soon 
as  they  are  ready..  I  am  very  glad  to  let  you  have  the 
use  of  the  picture,  or  help  you  in  any  way  I  can. 
Your  success  will  do  us  all  good.  I  hope  your  experi¬ 
ence  will  lead  to  prosperous  issues.  I  believe  they 
will.  My  admiration  of  your  work  is  only  equalled 
by  my  love  of  the  cause  of  truth. 

On  my  application  to  Mr.  Leach  for  a  photograph 
of  this  painting,  in  his  (Dec.  4th,  1910)  he  regretted 
he  had  none  available,  having  given  the  last  away,  and 
added : — 

You  may  take  it  from  me  that  I  am  in  favour  of 
the  Bangs  Sisters  and  their  work  and  nothing  has 
happened  to  make  me  change  my  mind  in  regard  to 
their  genuineness.  Louis  B.  Leach. 

This  gentleman  is  a  man  of  standing  in  Warnego, 
where  he  is  President  of  the  Warnego  State  Bank  of 
Kansas,  and  he  is  also  Proprietor  of  Leach’s  Opera 
House.  I  have  a  long  list  of  names,  including  Dr. 
Carson,  and  various  prominent  citizens  of  Warnego 
and  of  Kansas  City,  to  whom  Mr.  Leach  is  well  known. 
But  I  think  the  foregoing  statements  adequate. 

As  to  (Fig.  72)  I  give  _ the  portrait,  although  I 
withhold  the  names,  for  the  simple  reason  that  the 


PORTRAITS  BY  INVISIBLE  ARTISTS  311 


Bangs  Sisters  obtained  this  picture  in  their  first  public 
demonstration  for  spirit  paintings  held  in  the  pres¬ 
ence  of  a  large  number  of  people.  It  took  place  at 


Fig.  72.  Photograph  of  Spirit  Painting  of  the  daughter  of  a 
prominent  Marion  family  who  are  not  Spiritualists. 

the  Chesterfield  Camp  on  the  evening  30th,  Aug., 
1908.  The  N untie  Morning  Star  says : — 

Upon  a  table  on  the  stage  was  placed  a  frame  with 
an  opening  large  enough  to  hold  an  ordinary  sized 
crayon  portrait  mat.  Behind  the  aperture  was  placed 
a  coal  oil  lamp.  .  .  .  The  mats  remained  in  posi¬ 

tion  in  full  view  of  the  audience,  until  the  developed 
picture  was  completed. 


312  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


A  few  moments  after  the  mats  were  placed  in  posi¬ 
tion  the  canvas  assumed  a  mottled  cloudy  appear¬ 
ance,  and  gradually  the  outline  bust  form  of  a  person 
appeared  in  the  center  of  the  canvas.  Gradually  the 
picture  became  more  distinct  and  the  features  were 
distinguishable ;  then  the  colouring  of  the  hair  and 
the  face  developed,  and  lastly  the  eyes  apparently 
opened,  and  the  picture  of  a  girl  about  twelve  years 
of  age  was  completed  and  plainly  distinguished  by  all 
the  audience.  The  work  required  a  period  of  about 
twenty  minutes,  and  when  the  eyes  opened  the  audi¬ 
ence  cheered  the  young  women.  The  picture  was 
handed  about  the  audience  for  inspection.  The  Bangs 
Sisters  are  the  only  persons  known  to  develop  pictures 
in  the  manner  described  and  have  produced  portraits 
for  many  people  in  this  city,  among  whom  are  Fred 
Macomber,  who  has  a  portrait  of  his  mother-,  Mrs. 
B.  F.  Timmons,  Mrs.  Richard  Hunt,  C.  M.  Payne  of 
Newcastle,  and  J.  W.  Payne  of  Spiceland,  Ind.  The 
only  explanation  of  their  work  given  by  the  sisters  is 
that  spirit  artists  do  the  work. 

The  picture  then  obtained  proved  to  be  the  like¬ 
ness  of  a  daughter  of  a  prominent  Marion,  Indiana, 
family,  who  are  not  spiritualists  in  belief,  and  this 
was  their  first  visit  to  Camp  Chesterfield.  The  mother 
wore  around  her  neck,  hid  from  sight,  a  locket  con¬ 
taining  a  photograph  of  her  daughter  almost  dupli¬ 
cate  in  likeness  of  the  picture  obtained,*  but  different 
in  poise  and  position.  The  Psychics  had  not  seen  the 
locket  picture  or  any  photo  of  the  child. 

I  am  aware  that  since  the  foregoing  exhibition  of 
the  Bangs  Sisters  certain  imitations  have  been  pro¬ 
duced  in  public  and  called  “Spirit  Paintings.”  I  also 
know  that  Mr.  Wm.  Marriott  of  London,  Eng.,  says 
that  he  can  produce  them.  Since  this  book  was  writ- 

*The  Italics  are  mine. — J.  C. 


PORTRAITS  BY  INVISIBLE  ARTISTS  313 


ten,  Mr.  Careward  Ilariington,  another  expert,  de¬ 
clares  that  lie  has  a  friend  who  can  do  so.  Were  it 
worth  while,  I  might  give  more  attention  to  these 
claims. 

Have  they  produced  pictures  under  similar  condi¬ 
tions  to  those  obtained  by  the  Bangs  Sister's? 

For  this  there  is  no  evidence  beyond  the  usual  ex¬ 
pert  assertions. 

Have  they  produced  identifiable  portraits,  of  per¬ 
sons  whom  they  never  saw,  and  from  photographs 
which  they  have  never  seen?  NO. 

Have  any  of  their  productions  presented  evidence  of 
intelligences  outwith  their  own?  The  answer  is  in 
the  negative. 


CHAPTER  XIV 


PORTRAITS  PAINTED  BY  INVISIBLE  ARTISTS 
—CONTINUED 

Mr.  G.  Subha  Rau,  Editor  of  the  West  Coast  Specta¬ 
tor,  Calicut,  India  (and  who  is  not  a  Spiritualist) 
visited  America  some  two  years  before  Vice-Admiral 
Usborne  Moore,  and  gives  a  detailed  experience  in  the 
number  for  March,  1909,  of  The  Hindu  Spiritual 
Magazine.  I  do  not  propose  to  give  his  account  in 
full.  When  he  obtained  the  precipitated  portrait  of 
his  wife,  he  had  the  photograph  of  that  lady  in  his, 
pocket ,  which,  however,  the  mediums  did  not  see.  In 
his  statement — which  I  summarise — Mr.  Rau  says: — 

I  had  heard  that  the  Bangs  Sisters  could  produce 
through  spirit  agency  a  portrait  of  any  deceased  per¬ 
son.  I  had  found  it  hard  to  believe  such  a  claim,  and 
when  I  arranged  to  have  a  sitting  for  a  portrait  of 
my  deceased  wife,  I  did  so  with  no  little  incredulity. 
The  Bangs  Sisters  claim  that  they  can  get  a  deceased 
person’s  portrait  precipitated  on  canvas  even  when 
no  photographic  or  other  likeness  exists.  In  my  case 
there  was  a  photograph,  which  I  was  carrying  with 
me.  I  took  every  care  to  see  that  neither  of  the 
mediums,  nor  any  of  their  friends  saw  it.  At  this 
sitting  both  sisters  took  part.  In  the  course  of  con¬ 
versation,  one  or  the  other  would  describe  what  she 

314 


PORTRAITS  BY  INVISIBLE  ARTISTS  315 


professed  to  see.  They  saw  apparently  a  life  size 
image  of  the  photograph  I  had  with  me  and  described, 
it  correctly  in  the  details.  (The  italics  are  mine. — 
J.  C.)  For  instance  they  saw  that  I  sat;  that  my 
wife  stood  behind,  with  her  hand  on  my  shoulder; 
that  her  face  was  round;  that  she  wore  a  peculiar 
.jewel  on  the  nose;  and  her  hair  was  parted;  that  a 
dog  lay  at  my  foot,  and  so  on. 

Incidentally,  1  may  mention  that  they  described 
visions  of  one  who,  from  the  description,  could  be  my 
mother;  a  third,  my  friend  with  whom  1  had  been  try¬ 
ing  to  communicate,  and  so  on.  But  to  proceed,  they 
asked  me  to  pick  out  any  two  canvas  stretchers  that 
lay  against  the  wall,  adding  that  I  might  bring  my 
own  stretchers  if  1  liked.  1  took  out  two  which  were 
very  clean  and  set  them  on  the  table  against  the  glass 
window.  1  sat  opposite,  and  the  two  sisters  on  either 
side.  Gradually  I  saw  a  cloudy  appearance  on  the 
canvas;  in  a  few  moments  it  cleared  into  a  bright 
face,  the  eyes  formed  themselves  and  opened  rather 
suddenly,  and  I  beheld  what  seemed  a  copy  of  my 
wife’s  face  in  the  photograph.  The  figure  on  the 
canvas  faded  away  once  or  twice,  to  reappear  with 
clearer  outline;  and  round  the  shoulder  was  formed 
a  loose  white  robe.  The  whole  seemed  a  remarkable 
enlargement  of  the  face  in  the  photograph.  The 
photograph  had  been  taken  some  three  or  four  years 
before  her  death,  and  it  was  noteworthy  that  the 
merely  accidental  details  that  entered  into  it  should 
now  appear  on  the  canvas.  For  instance,  the  nose 
ornament  already  referred  to,  she  had  not  usually 
worn.  Some  ornaments  were  clumsily  reproduced. 
One  that  she  had  always  worn,  but  which  was  not 
distinctly  visible  in  the  photograph,  was  omitted  on 
the  canvas.  I  pointed  out  these  blemishes,  and  as  the 
result,  when  I  saw  the  portrait  next  day,  all  the  orna¬ 
ments  had  disappeared.  I  was  satisfied  that  the  por¬ 
trait  had  been  precipitated  by  some  super-normal 
agency.  As  soon  as  the  portrait  was  tinished,  I 


316  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


touched  a  corner  of  the  canvas  with  my  linger,  and  a 
greyish  substance  came  off.  The  portrait  is  still  in 
my  possession,  and  it  looks  as  fresh  as  ever.  I  had 
omitted  to  say  it  was  all  done  in  twenty-five  minutes. 

The  above  remarkable  testimony  by  a  skeptic  and 
an  eye-witness  must  be  of  great  weight.  The  fact  of 
reproduction  does  not  take  away  from  the  value  of 
the  undoubted  psychic  action. 

Mr.  Ran  is  perfectly  satisfied  that  the  portrait  was 
a  case  of  precipitation ;  that  the  photograph  in  his 
pocket  was  the  basis  of  the  likeness,  and  not  any  men¬ 
tal  picture  which  he  had  in  his  mind.  He  is  also  cer¬ 
tain  that  the  Bangs  Sisters  are  genuine  psychics  and 
the  phenomenon  obtained  through  them  arose  through 
occult  causes,  but  he  did  not  think  either  his  wife  or 
the  spirits,  from  whom  he  desired  to  hear,  had  any¬ 
thing  to  do  with  the  production  of  this  portrait. 

Mrs.  Lucy  E.  Adams,  356  East  60th  Street,  Chicago, 
Ill.,  (in  her  letter  to  me  dated  2nd  July,  1910)  says: — - 

1  have  had  very  little  experience  with  spirit-photog¬ 
raphy,  but  I  have  for  my  friend,  Mr.  Ghose,  Editor 
of  The  Hindu  Spiritual  Magazine ,  obtained  a  pre¬ 
cipitated  picture  of  his  son  through  the  mediumship 
of  the  Bangs  Sisters.  Mr.  Shishir  Kumar  Ghose  will 
be  interested  in  your  book  on  Spirit  Photography,  and 
so  will  I. 

There  was  a  desire  expressed  that  I  should  investi¬ 
gate  personally  the  powers  of  these  ladies.  I  wrote 
the  esteemed  editor  of  the  Hindu  Spiritual  Magazine, 
for  he,  being  a  man  of  standing  in  Hindu  society,  and 
lately  honoured  by  the  Indian  Government,  I  would 


PORTRAITS  BY  INVISIBLE  ARTISTS  317 


highly  esteemed  his  testimony.  I  received  the  follow¬ 
ing  letter  from  his  son,  Air.  P.  K.  Ghose : — 

Hindu  Spiritual  Magazine  Office, 
Calcutta,  September  29,  1910. 

Dear  Sir:  Your  favour,  dated  the  30th  July.  My 
revered  father,  Babu  Shishir  Kumar  Ghose,  has  been 
lying  seriously  ill  for  the  last  two  or  three  weeks; 
hence  he  could  not  reply  directly  to  your  letter.  I 
am,  however,  enclosing  you,  by  his  direction,  a  full 
description  as  to  how  the  picture  was  precipitated. 
Tf  possible,  we  shall  try  to  send  you  a  photograph  of 
the  picture.  Yours  very  truly, 

P.  K.  Ghose.  Manager. 

(The  photographs  were  duly  received  7th  Dec., 
1910.) 

I  should  much  prefer  to  give  the  report  in  its  lucid 
completeness,  but  lack  of  space  compels  me  to  sum¬ 
marise  it.  I  may  state  in  passing  that  it  was  owing  to 
the  successful  personal  experience  of  Mr.  G.  Subha 
Rau  that  Mr.  Ghose  was  induced  to  try  and  get  a  por¬ 
trait  of  his  departed  son.  Air.  Ghose  could  not  pro¬ 
ceed  to  Chicago  and  had  to  depute  the  mission  to  a 
most  trustworthy  resident  in  that  city,  viz.,  Airs.  Lucy 
E.  Adams,  an  esteemed  correspondent. 

From  the  testimony  of  Babu  Shishir  Kumar  Ghose. 
referred  to  in  Air.  Piyush  Kanti  Ghose ’s  letter,  I  take 
the  following: — 

Having  heard  from  a  friend  of  his  experiences  with 
the  Bangs  Sisters  in  Chicago,  I  determined  to  get,  if 
possible,  the  portrait  of  my  beloved  son,  Poyesh  Kanti. 
I  could  not  go  in  person,  so  I  wrote  to  a  very  dear 
friend  (distinguished  for  her  exceeding  piety  and 


318  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


sound  judgment)  who  resided  in  Chicago.  I  asked 
her  to  visit  the  Bangs  Sisters  and  get  me  a  picture. 


Fig.  73.  The  Photograph  of  the  Precipitated  Painted  Portrait 
of  Poyesli  Kanti,  the  departed  Son  of  Babu  Shishir  Kumar 
Ghose,  Calcutta,  done  by  the  Bangs  Sisters. 

Not  believing  in  mediums,  she  objected,  having  no 
desire  to  help  me  to  throw  my  money  away.  I  in¬ 
sisted,  however,  and  sent  her  a  photograph  of  my 


PORTRAITS  BY  INVISIBLE  ARTISTS  319 


son,  so  that  she  should  have  decided  and  available 
means  by  which  to  identify  the  picture,  but  she  teas 
not  on  any  account  to  permit  the  sisters  to  have  a 
glimpse  of  the  photo.  She  finally  consented.  Taking 
her  own  canvas,  and  accompanied  by  an  intimate 
friend,  Mrs.  P., — who  had  no  faith  in  Spiritualists — 
she  called  on  the  Bangs  Sisters.  There  was  only  one 
of  the  sisters  present,  by  whom  they  were  taken  into 
a  small  room,  where  there  was  one  small  window, 
which  was  open  to  the  street.  Before  it  the  canvas 
was  hung,  so  that  the  light  fell  on  its  back,  enabling 
my  friend  and  her  companion  to  see  how  the  picture 
was  drawn.  That  window  formed  the  upper  part  of 
a  door.  The  canvas  could  not  he  affected  from  with¬ 
out.  There  was  no  space  under  the  door  through 
which  anything  could  be  passed.  But  in  either  case, 
any  attempt  from  above  or  underneath  would  have 
been  detected  at  once. 

It  must  also  be  borne  in  mind  that  it  was  the  side 
of  the  canvas  away  from  the  windpw  on  which  the 
picture  was  precipitated.  The  two  ladies  sat  before 
and  the  medium  stood  on  one  side,  touching  it.  Im¬ 
mediately  they  saw  a  cloud  over-spreading  the  can¬ 
vas,  and  by  degrees  the  picture  was  finally  precipitated 
in  the  manner  described  by  Mr.  Subha  Ran,  in  the 
Hindu  Spiritual  Magazine,  March,  1909.  These 
ladies  had  a  watch  before  them,  and  when  three  raps 
announced  the  completion,  they  saw  it  was  finished 
in  exactly  twenty  minutes. 

Any  human  artist  would,  in  my  opinion,  take  at 
least  twenty  minutes  to  select  the  colours  and  blend 
the  tints.  In  this  delicate  work  of  art  no  sign  of 
brush  work  is  visible,  no  crudities,  as  in  portraits 
painted  by  competent  artists.  It  was  not  done  by  the 
coarse  hand  of  a  material  being,  but  by  some  means 
unknown  to  artists  on  earth.  Most  assuredly  it  was 
not  done,  drawn  or  painted  by  the  only  medium  pres¬ 
ent  or  by  the  witnesses. 

The  question  arises,  Was  the  picture  a  painting  of 


320  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


my  son  as  the  subject,  or  was  it  from  his  photograph? 
It.  may  be  alleged  that  the  medium  saw  the  photo¬ 
graph  elairvoyantly  and  that  the  spirit  artist  saw  it 
through  her.  This  is  supported  by  the  fact  that  the 
picture  is  very  much  like  the  photograph.  There  is 
one  little  circumstance  which  suggests  that  the  spirit 
of  my  son  was  the  subject  of  the  picture,  and  that  is 
the  complexion ■  is  correctly  given.  The  medium  could 
not  have  known  that  from  the  photograph.  The 
Hindus  of  the  higher  classes  in  Bengal  have  a  peculiar 
complexion,  which  has  its  distinctive  characteristics. 
Again,  the  sisters  allege  that  they  can  get  pictures 
precipitated  in  a  similar  fashion  without  a  photo¬ 
graph.  I  have  no  reason  to  doubt  the  evidence,  there¬ 
fore  I  conclude  that  the  painting  was  that  of  the  spirit 
present,  and  not  from  the  photograph.  The  evidence 
is  also  conclusive  that  the  picture  was  not  done  by 
mortal  hand,  but  was  finished  by  occult  means :  By 
Invisible  Intelligence  or  spirit. 

The  above  account  may  have  suffered  a  little  by  my 
curtailment,  but  the  central  fact  stands,  i.  e.,  that  an 
identifiable  portrait  of  a  departed  was  obtained 
through  the  agency  of  intelligent  artists  in  the  In¬ 
visible,  by  the  aid  of  a  medium.  This  is  supported 
by  the  testimony  of  Mrs.  Adams  and  her  lady  friend. 
The  first  was  doubtful  of  the  legitimacy  of  the  pro¬ 
cedure  and  the  genuineness  of  the  mediums ;  and  the 
second,  if  not  both,  were  non-believers  in  Spiritualism. 
There  is  also  the  identification  by  the  hitherto  unseen 
photograph ;  that  of  the  honoured  Babu ;  the  testi¬ 
mony  of  his  son  and  the  brother  of  the  departed  one. 
If  this  were  not  enough,  the  united  testimony  of  the 
adult  members  of  possibly  the  largest  family  in  India, 


PORTRAITS  BY  INVISIBLE  ARTISTS  321 


consisting  of  Babu  Shishir  Kumar  Ghose’s*  immediate 
defendants ;  his  brothers  and  their  wives,  children  and 
grandchildren;  his  sisters,  t heir  husbands,  children 
and  grandchildren,  together  with  not  a  few  other  rel¬ 
atives,  with  the  servants  and  dependents  of  this  great 
household. 

My  only  comment  is  that  the  fact  of  the  painting 
and  the  manner  of  its  accomplishment  being  estab¬ 
lished  beyond  doubt,  and  while  it  may  be  possible 
that  the  departed  presented  an  image  of  his  bodily 
form  to  the  psychic  artist  or  artists  for  production, 
the  factor  of  the  reproduction  of  the  unseen  photo¬ 
graph  cannot  be  well  excluded.  It  would  still  remain 
the  portrait  of  an  Invisible  produced  by  no  mortal 
hand.  This  is  the  central  fact  and  to  my  mind  the 
most  important. 

The  Testimony  of  Dr.  and  Mrs.  C.  II.  Thurston, 
l  give  their  account  in  full,  as  I  consider  the  evidence 
of  value,  and  of  interest  as  being  recent:— 

"Since  writing  tin*  above  Babu  Shishir  Kumar  Ghose  passed 
to  the  higher  life  10th  of  January,  1911.  Although  the  late 
head  of  this  family  was  a  modern  journalist,  author,  man  of 
affairs,  founder  of  The  Daily  Amrita  Bazar,  Patrika,  (the 
most  influential  paper  in  Bengal)  the  head  of  other  businesses, 
landed  interests,  and  proprietor  of  various  publications,  he  was 
also  a  patriarch.  His  household  is  a  survival  of  the  patriarchal 
rule  which  in  ancient  times  obtained  in  the  Orient,  although 
now  almost  non-existent  in  India. 

Honoured  by  the  Indian  Government,  his  reputation  was  of 
the  highest;  he  was  and  is  revered  by  his  family  and  many 
people  as  a  saint.  Such  is  the  character  of  the  man  whose 
testimony  is  given  in  these  pages. 


322  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


Hagerstown,  IncL,  U.  S.  A. 

April  5,  1910. 

Desiring  a  spirit  portrait  of  our  daughter,  who 


Fig.  74.  Photograph  taken  by  an  Amateur  of  the  Spirit- 
Painted  Portrait  of  the  Deceased  Daughter  of  Dr.  and 
Mrs.  E.  H.  Thurston,  of  Hagerstown,  Indiana,  U.  S.  A. 

passed  into  the  spirit  life  at  the  age  of  thirty  years, 
and  having  viewed  some  of  the  results  obtained  for 


PORTRAITS  BY  INVISIBLE  ARTISTS  323 


others,  through  this  remarkable  phase  of  the  Bangs 
Sisters’  mediumship,  we  decided  to  make  a  test  of  it 
ourselves. 

Visiting  Chesterfield  Camp,  Indiana,  we  called  upon 
the  Bangs  Sisters  in  their  cottage  and  arranged  the 
date  for  our  sitting,  the  hour  set  being  the  following 
afternoon.  At  the  stated  time  we  again  called  at 
their  cottage.  Entering  the  seance-room,  and  finding 
only  three  canvases,  I  selected  two  of  them,  took  them 
out  in  the  sunlight,  in  company  with  one  of  the  Miss 
Bangs,  exposed  them  for  fifteen  minutes  to  the  strong 
rays  of  the  noonday  sun,  examined  the  surface  thor¬ 
oughly  to  fully  assure  myself  that  they  were  not 
chemically  prepared,  at  the  same  time  to  secretly 
mark  them  for  identification.  Returning  to  the  seance 
room,  I  placed  the  canvas  on  the  small  table  before  a 
well-lighted  north  window,  and  by  examination  of 
table  and  surroundings,  convinced  myself  that  every¬ 
thing  was  void  of  any  and  all  mechanical  apparatus. 

The  Bangs  Sisters,  seated  on  each  side  of  the  table, 
merely  supported  the  canvas  in  an  upright  position 
with  one  hand,  myself  and  wife  being  seated  directly 
in  front  of  and  not  more  than  two  feet  from  them. 
After  sitting  a  very  short  time,  a  dark  shadow  passed 
over  the  canvas,  followed  by  the  outline  of  the  head 
and  body,  then,  to  our  wonderful  amazement,  the  per¬ 
fect  features  of  our  daughter  appeared,  with  the  eyes 
closed ;  a  few  more  seconds,  and  the  eyes  opened,  and 
before  us  was  the  beautiful  spirit-portrait  of  our  de¬ 
ceased  daughter,  perfectly  life-like  in  every  feature, 
and  which  has  been  instantly  recognised  by  all  who 
knew  her  when  in  earth  life.  When  the  picture  was 
completed,  the  identification  marks  previously  spoken 
of  showed  that  the  canvas  had  not  been  tampered  with 
in  any  way. 

While  the  portrait  has  much  the  appearance  of 
pastel  work,  we  have  since  removed  particles  of  the 
material  or  substance  of  which  the  picture  is  made 
and  find  it  perfectly  soluble  in  water,  without  impart- 


324  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


iug  any  colour  whatever  to  the  water,  which  is  not 
the  case  in  pastel  work. 

Being-  somewhat  familiar  with  photography  and 
photographic  processes,  especially  solar  print  work, 
we  are  fully  convinced  that  the  picture  is  not  the 
product  of  any  photographic  process,  and  we  desire 
to  say  right  here  there  was  positively  no  evidence 
whatever  of  any  trick,  of  sleight  of  hand  performance ; 
everything  was  perfectly  straightforward  and  honest, 
as  far  as  the  physical  eye  could  discern,  and  we  went 
away  from  that  cottage  at  beautiful  Camp  Chester¬ 
field  more  convinced  than  ever  before  of  the  con¬ 
tinuity  of  life  after  death,  and  the  beautiful  philos¬ 
ophy  of  Spiritualism. 

The  Bangs  Sisters  will  ever  have  our  highest  re¬ 
gards,  for  we  believe  they  are  thoroughly  genuine 
and  honest. 

Dr.  and  Mrs.  H.  E.  Thurston. 

Dr.  and  Mrs.  II.  E.  Thurston  did  not  state  whether 
they  had  a  photograph  of  their  daughter  taken  in 
life,  but  I  assume  that  to  be  possible  as  the  doctor  was 
himself  a  photographer.  It  does  not  affect  the  facts 
stated  whether  they  had  or  not. 

I  now  give  an  interesting  case  in  which  no  photo¬ 
graph  had  been  taken.  The  account — which  I  sum¬ 
marise — was  given  by  Mr.  George  C.  Holland,  of  Ot¬ 
tawa,  Canada.  In  Light,  15th  May,  1909,  he  (after 
describing  procedure  at  the  cottage  of  the  Bangs  Sis¬ 
ters,  at  Lilydale  Camp,  the  test  measures  adopted  and 
the  fact  that  Mrs.  Holland  and  himself  had  no  pho¬ 
tograph  of  their  son  in  their  possession)  says: — 

First,  a  cloud  seemed  to  roll  over  the  face  of  the 
canvas  and  disappear.  It  was  followed  by  other 


PORTRAITS  BY  INVISIBLE  ARTISTS  325 


clouds,  each  time  some  of  the  color  remaining  on  the 
canvas  until  a  background  was  formed.  Then  ap¬ 
peared  a  faint  outline  of  a  human  head,  which  dis¬ 
appeared  and  reappeared  several  times  before  re¬ 
maining  on  the  canvas.  Rapidly  the  features  seemed 
to  grow,  and  finally  the  eyes,  which  for  a  time  were 
indistinct  and  apparently  closed,  opened,  and  re¬ 
mained  open  on  the  canvas.  In  about  twenty  minutes 
the  picture  was  completed.  In  a  general  way  it  re¬ 
sembled  our  son,  but  it  was  not  even  a  fairly  good 
portrait. 


All  the  foregoing  was.  carried  out  in  a  well  lighted 
room  and  executed  with  the  sunshine  directly  bearing 
on  the  canvas,  which  was  selected  by  the  investigators, 
and  the  mediums  had  no  intimation  of  what  sort  of 
portrait  was  desired.  The  test  adopted  was  a  remark¬ 
able  one,  namely,  two  canvases  were  held  face  to  face, 
and  the  portrait  of  the  son  appeared  on  one  of  them. 

The  one  point  I  wish  to  note  was  the  failure  to  pro¬ 
duce  a  good  likeness  of  the  son  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hol¬ 
land.  It  will  also  be  remembered  that  they  had  no 
photograph  of  their  departed  son  with  them.  Possi¬ 
bly,  too,  they  had  not  a  clear  mental  picture  of  him, 
or  what  is  most  likely,  the  mother  had  one  conception 
of  him  and  the  father  another.  And  the  spirit-artists 
produced  a  composite  picture  of  the  two. 

I  have  omitted,  from  lack  of  space,  Mr.  J.  M. 
White’s  graphic  report  of  the  great  exhibition  of  over 
one  hundred  psychic  portraits,  and  allegorical  pic¬ 
tures  of  scenes  in  the  Invisible,  done  by  these  medi¬ 
ums,  held  last  January  in  Kansas  City.  Two  of  these 


326  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


have  been  held  in  the  Galleries  of  Psychic  Art,  in  the 
Temple  of  Health,  corner  of  12th  and  Washington 
Streets,  Kansas  City,  Missouri — the  one  above  men¬ 
tioned,  in  January,  and  the  other  in  December,  1910. 
These  were  visited  by  thousands  of  people  on  both 
occasions.  To  use  Dr.  Carson’s  words  in  his  “An¬ 
nouncement”  and  invitation  to  the  December  ex¬ 
hibit — “Nothing  before  seen  can  compare  with  the 
marvellous  beauty  of  these  psychic  pictures  and  crea¬ 
tions  from  an  unseen  world.  To  one  interested  in 
Divine  Revelations,  a  view  of  these  pictures  would  be 
ample  reward  for  coming  thousands  of  miles  to  attend 
the  Convention.” 

As  to  the  nature  and  character  of  this  Convention, 
I  have  nothing  to  say  in  these  pages  except  that  it  was 
a  remarkable  one,  where  highly  intellectual  men  and 
women  gathered  together  to  discuss  matters  of  Health 
and  Well-being.  Among  the  objects  which  were  dis¬ 
cussed  was  the  building  of  the  Temple  of  Light.  In 
this  Temple  a  new  system  of  education  was  to  be  car¬ 
ried  out.  What  is  of  interest  to  us  is  that  in  addition 
to  the  hundred  odd  pictures,  done  by  the  Bangs  Sis¬ 
ters,  adorning  four  Art  Parlors  in  the  Temple  of 
Health,  there  is  the  psychic  painting  of  the  proposed 
Temple  of  Light. 

Dr.  Carson  says  — ■ 

The  photograph  is  taken  from  the  psychic  painting 
executed  in  The  Temple  of  Health.  The  Temple  of 
Light  will  be  of  the  Grecian-Roman-Ionian  school  of 
architecture,  adhering  to  the  beautiful  lines  of  the 


PORTRAITS  BY  INVISIBLE  ARTISTS  327 


ancient  temples  that  were  erected  in  the  Old  World 
and  which  withstood  the  ravages  of  Time  for  hundreds 
of  years.  The  Temple  of  Light  will  be  built  in  the 
form  of  a  cross,  with  four  fronts,  each  210  feet  long, 
and  a  dome  of  magnificent  proportions  will  surmount 


Fi<?.  75.  Photograph  of  the  Psychic  Painting  and  architectural 
design  of  the  Temple  of  Light,  on  canvas  4x6  feet,  done  in 
oil,  in  the  presence  of  the  Bangs  Sisters. 


the  center.  The  building  will  be  four  stories  in  height, 
and  marble  will  be  the  principal  material  of  con¬ 
struction.  Immense  columns  of  granite,  forty  feet 
in  height,  and  nearly  six  feet  in  thickness,  will  be 
placed  at  the  entrance  on  each  of  the  four  sides. 
Broad  marble  steps  will  lead  to  great  bronze  doors, 
which  in  themselves  are  beautiful  works  of  art,  re¬ 
productions  of  the  doors  of  one  of  the  ancient  Grecian 
temples.  .  .  .” 


328  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


I  refrain  from  giving  a  detailed  description  of  the 
internal  arrangements  of  the  proposed  building.  The 
fact  of  the  deepest  interest  to  me  is  that  the  designs 
and  colouring,  &c.,  of  this  building  were  obtained 
psychically ;  with  strict  attention  to  architectural  tech¬ 
nique,  from  which  any  qualified  architect  could  form 
his  plans. 

The  Temple  of  Health  is  a  large  structure,  occupy¬ 
ing  a  prominent  position  in  the  City  of  Kansas,  where 
Dr.  C.  H.  Carson*  and  his  assistants  have  been  carry¬ 
ing  on  a  Vito-Therapeutic  system  of  medical  treat¬ 
ment  for  the  last  thirty  years.  No  greater  or  stronger 
testimony  could  be  given  to  the  unique  gifts  of  the 
Bangs  Sisters  than  the  collection  of  paintings  within 
its  walls,  where  they  can  be  seen- — including  the  orig¬ 
inal  painting  of  the  Temple  of  Light. 

This  thing  is  not  done  in  a  corner,  for  The  Society 
For  Scientific  Revelation,  which  is  to  build  the  great 
TEMPLE  OF  LIGHT,  consists  of  a  quarter  of  a  mil¬ 
lion  members.  No  testimony  within  the  range  of  Psy¬ 
chical  Research  will — in  my  opinion — be  greater. 

THE  EVIDENCE  OF  DR.  J.  M.  PEEBLES 

Dr.  Peebles,  the  genial  veteran  author  and  lecturer, 
who  possesses  a  world-wide  reputation,  has  on  several 
occasions  testified  to  the  genuineness  of  the  phenomena 
witnessed  in  the  presence  of  these  gifted  psychics. 

*Since  the  foregoing  was  written  Dr.  C.  H.  Carson  in  his 
of  the  25th  February,  1911,  sent  me  corroborative  evidence 
and  the  Portraits  of  the  Carson  family,  among  others  the 
mother  of  Dr.  Carson,  Mrs.  C.  II.  Carson  and  a  nephew. 


PORTRAITS  BY  INVISIBLE  ARTISTS  329 


He  requires  no  introduction.  I  have  curtailed  report 
received,  making  reference  only  to  the  precipitated 
painting.  There  were  obtained  at  this  time  psycho- 


Fig.  7-6.  Photograph  of  the  Precipitated  Painting  of  St.  John 
obtained  through  the  Bang  Sisters. 


graphic  messages — under  exceptionally  satisfactory 
conditions,  but  owing  to  limited  space  and  the  fact 


330  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


that  an  outline  of  psychography  is  given  further  on, 
I  omit  these. 

Journeying  on  our  way  to  the  Pacific  Coast,  we 
stayed  overnight,  in  Chicago,  calling  on  the  Bangs 
Sisters,  with  whom  we  had  previously  corresponded. 

Though  expressing  their  unpreparedness,  they  gave 
us  a  seance.  We  were  admitted  to  the  seance  room, 
which  had  a  large  window  at  one  end,  a  door  at  the 
other  and  two  side  doors. 

Comfortably  seated,  conversation  was  genial  and 
general.  Dr.  Peebles  desiring  to  have  a  spirit  picture 
of  one  of  his  chief  guides. 

Mr.  Sudall  accompanied  one  of  the  sisters  to  a 
store-room  wherein  a  pile  of  new  canvases  were  stored. 
Selecting  two  of  these  from  the  centre,  he  marked 
them  and  carried  them  to  the  seance  room.  We  ex¬ 
amined  the  room,  chairs,  table,  window  and  shutters, 
finding  them  to  our  satisfaction.  Next,  a  curtain  of 
black  velvet  was  placed  over  the  window  and  around 
the  edges  of  the  canvases,  thus  shutting  off  all  light, 
except  that  focussed  upon  the  almost  transparent 
canvas. 

With  the  sisters  occupying  seats  on  each  side  of 
the  table,  holding  the  canvas  near  the  window,  and 
Dr.  Peebles,  Mr.  Sudall  and  a  lady  facing  in  front, 
the  conditions  necessary  for  this  kind  of  phenomena 
were  completed. 

Soon  the  canvas  assumed  a  gradually  darker  ap¬ 
pearance  around  the  edges.  Now  a  change  to  light 
and  then  dark  again,  wavering  thus  intermittently 
for  a  short  time.  Then  came  waves  of  seemingly 
coloured  clouds  passing  from  side  to  side,  up  and 
down.  Dimly  we  perceived  the  outline  of  a  human 
head  and  shoulders ;  clearer  and  clearer  they  came  to 
view,  until  the  facial  outlines  were  distinctly  visible. 
Slowly,  surely  and  gradually,  with  persevering  effort, 
came  the  clear  and  distinct  features  of  a  patriarchal 
man  with  snowy  white  hair  and  beard.  Suddenly  the 


PORTRAITS  BY  INVISIBLE  ARTISTS  331 


form  vanished ;  and,  clouding  again  the  canvas  was 
almost  a  blank !  Patient  watching  revealed  to  us  the 
careful  unfolding  of  the  same  remarkable  features; 
the  eyes  Avere  more  brilliant  and  the  features  more 
distinct.  But  we  thought  the  heard  was  short  and 
somewhat  scant;  the  moustache  a  little  uneven;  and 
so,  without  further  ado,  the  eyes  gradually  closed  and 
the  picture  again  clouded,  to  he  again  restored  to  our 
sight,  in  all  the  glory  and  magnificence  it  was  possible 
to  conceive  of  *  Brilliant  and  piercing  were  the  eyes, 
beautifully  tinted  Avere  the  features,  and  the  beard 
no  longer  scraggy,  but  long,  wide,  flowing  and  pro- 
fusive,  in  snowy  Avhiteness — a  glorious  picture  to  be¬ 
hold.  Later,  the  words:  “The  Apostle  John”  Avere 
■added  in  one  corner  of  the  picture.  So  here  was  the 
Apostle  John’s  picture,  as  he  trod  the  earth  minister¬ 
ing  to  the  people,  teaching  and  being  taught,  empha¬ 
sising  the  love  of  God  to  man.  The  whole  proceeding 
seemed  like  a  miracle,  tilling  us  with  a  feeling  of  aAve 
and  wonder.  We  are  grateful  beyond  measure  in 
the  happy  possession  of  such  a  valuable  work  of  spirit 
science  and  art. 

Believing  in  the  integrity  of  the  Bangs  Sisters,  we 
express  our  sincerest  thanks  for  their  untiring  efforts 
in  the  work  of  Spiritualism,  and  for  the  comforting 
and  inspiring  messages  received  from  our  loved  ones. 

Sept.  28,  1910.  Robert  Peebles  Sudall. 

James  M.  Peebles,  M.  D. 

While  it  is  wholly  impossible  from  an  identification 
point  to  say  whether  this  spirit  painting  is  a  portrait 
of  St.  John — in  earth  life — I  accept  the  statement 
over  the  signatures  of  the  doctor  and  Mr.  Sudall  as 
to  the  facts  and  manner  of  obtaining  this  picture. 
Whether  it  Avas  a  portrait  of  the  Apostle  or — more 


Italics  are  mine. — J.  C. 


332  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


probably — that  of  a  thought-picture  in  the  mind  of 
Dr.  Peebles,  psychically  discovered  by  the  mediums, 
or  the  Intelligences  controlling,  I  cannot  say.  I,  how¬ 
ever,  call  attention  to  the  fact  that  the  beard  which 
was  at  first  thought  to  be  somewhat  scant  was  changed 
to  correspond  with  the  sitters’  ideas  of  what  the  por¬ 
trait  of  St.  John  should  be;  and  from  this  correspond¬ 
ing  to  what  I  know  of  Dr.  Peebles’  opinions,  writings, 
and  public  addresses,  I  am  led  to  the  conclu¬ 
sion  that  the  painting  came  from  the  spirit  artists 
(operating  through  the  mediumship  of  those  remark¬ 
able  psychics)  as  a  precipitation  off  the  doctor’s  ideal. 
I  might  even  go  a  step  further  and  say  it  was  a  re¬ 
production  of  a  mental  vision  impressed  on  the  sub- 
consciousness  of  Dr.  Peebles  by  an  Invisible.  The 
fact  of  the  painting  1  admit;  but  I  neither  believe  it 
to  be  the  portrait  of  St.  John,  nor  can  I  conceive  the 
possibility  of  the  Beloved  Apostle  having  a  distinctly 
American  physiognamy.  The  valuable  evidence  by 
the  venerable  lecturer  is  admirably  sustained  by  the 
few  eases  selected  for  this  book.  If  the  evidences  given 
in  these  pages  are  sufficiently  strong  to  furnish  a 
prima  facie  case  that  human  beings  departed  can  be 
photographed,  or  have  their  portraits  painted,  why 
not  St.  John?  But  that  this  has  been  done  there  is 
absolutely  no  evidence. 

THE  PORTRAIT  OF  MRS.  LEE  BAXTER 

This  painting  is  of  spirit  precipitation,  says  Miss 
May  Bangs,  the  same  as  all  our  art  work,  but  taken 
from  the  mortal,  that  is,  the  subject  is  still  in  earth 
life.  It  is  a  most  excellent  likeness,  thus  showing  that 
if  our  artists  guides  can  so  closely  and  beautifully 


PORTRAITS  BY  INVISIBLE  ARTISTS  333 


portray  a  perfect  likeness  of  those  in  earth  life,  why 
not  of  the  spirit? 

I  produce — owing  to  their  importance — the  portrait 
(Fig.  77)  and  extract  from  Miss  May  Bang’s  letter, 


Fig.  77.  This  is  a  photo  taken  from  a  Portrait  (obtained  Aug., 
1910)  of  Mrs.  Lee  Baxter,  of  346  W.  Maleon  Street,  De¬ 
catur,  Ill. 


(10th  Oct.,  1910)  here.  I  cannot  answer  the  ques¬ 
tion.  It  is,  however,  a  matter  of  fact,  and  the  above 
is  not  the  only  instance,  of  the  portraits  of  embodied 
persons  being  precipitated — that  portraits  of  the  liv- 


334  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


ing  and  so-called  dead  have  been  obtained  in  this 
manner  through  these  mediums  is  beyond  cavil. 

The  evidence  to  my  mind  is  conclusive  as  to  the 
genuineness  of  the  phenomenon  of  precipitated  paint¬ 
ings,  but  not  that  the  same  are  the  portraits  of  our 
departed — in  a  state  discarnate — but  rather  of  some¬ 
thing  representing  them  in  the  Akasa  or  thought  at¬ 
mosphere  of  those  who  knew  them,  when  the  same  por¬ 
trait  is  not  an  idealised  production  of  a  photograph  or 
picture  in  existence  on  earth.  It  may  be  I  am  wrong ; 
J  am  open  for  further  information. 

Many  of  these  precipitated  pictures  had  been  done 
in  a  remarkably  short  time.  1  have  been  present  when 
direct  paintings  have  been  done  by  the  late  Mr.  David 
Duguid  in  two  to  three  minutes.  The  Bangs  Sisters 
have  obtained  complete  portraits  in  eight  minutes. 

I  have  submitted  a  few  portraits  with  attestations, 
but  I  have  on  my  desk  at  the  moment  of  writing  over 
sixty  recent  cases  out  of  hundreds.  Those  which  I 
have  deliberately  selected  cover  a  sufficient  pei’iod  of 
time — five  years  or  thereby — to  date,  to  give  the  reader 
a  fair  idea  of  what  these  precipitated  spirit  paintings 
are. 

The  half-tones  which  illustrate  the  artistic  work 
done  through  the  mediumsliip  of  these  psychics  do 
not  do  justice  to  the  original  paintings.  They,  how¬ 
ever,  show  how  life-like  the  work  is.  A  good  deal  of 
the  effect,  however,  is  lost  in  the  half-tone  processes. 
All  correspondents  assure  me  of  this  fact. 

There  is  and  must  be  a  great  deal  of  difference  be- 


PORTRAITS  BY  INVISIBLE  ARTISTS  335 


tween  portraits  precipitated  in  the  light  and  photo¬ 
graphs  taken  by  camera  of  the  departed,  yet,  while 
this  is  true,  there  are  points  of  similarity.  In  both 
the  likenesses  are  obtained  of  persons  as  they  were  once 
on  earth.  Their  features  are  reproduced.  Recogni¬ 
tion  would  be  impossible  otherwise. 

All  spirit  paintings — not  portraits — which  I  have 
seen,  represented  scenes  on  earth.  Many  direct  paint¬ 
ings  and  drawings  obtained  through  the  late  Mr.  David 
Duguid  were  of  this  character.  Some  drawings  (not 
all)  were  line  for  line,  reproductions  of  drawings  ex¬ 
tant.  The  spirit-painted  portraits  of  the  Bangs  Sis¬ 
ters  were  best  obtained- — 

1st.  When  the  person  desiring  the  portrait  is  able 
to  carry  a  clear  mental  picture  of  the  departed;  or 

2nd.  Has  a  photograph  of  the  departed  on  his  or 
her  person,  although  the  said  photograph  has  neither 
been  seen  nor  handled  by  the  mediums. 

Now,  let  it  be  noted : 

1st.  Are  the  subjects  of  these  portraits,  whether 
they  are  of  the  departed,  of  mental  pictures  psy¬ 
chically  obtained,  or  of  actual  photographs,  &c., 
they  must  have  been  clairvoyantly  perceived  either 
by  the  Bangs  Sisters  or  by  the  Intelligences  in  the 
Invisible  using  their — the  mediums — psychic  faculties. 

2nd.  However  produced,  these  portraits  were  not 
painted  by  the  hands  of  man,  and  by  no  process — 
not  even  solar  prints — known  to  artists. 

I  therefore  conclude  we  have  reached  the  bed-rock 
fact:  That  these  precipitated  paintings  and  psychic 


330  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


photographs  are  the  work  of  human  Intelligences 
operating  on  psychic  planes,  and  through  the  agency 
of  appropriate  media.  In  the  unique  phenomenon  of 
these  remarkable  spirit-produced  paintings,  the  Bangs 
Sisters,  in  the  history  of  the  world’s  psychics,  stand 
alone. 


CHAPTER  XV 


PSY  CHOGRA  PHY 

As  reference  has  been  made  to  Psychographs,  I  pro¬ 
pose  to  give  a  few  concrete  cases,  with  illustrations, 
in  order  that  the  whole  may  he  better  understood  by 
those  to  whom  the  subject  is  new.  Extraordinary  as 
are  the  claims  made,  that  psychic  images — invisible  to 
the  human  eye — can  be  photographed,  they  pale  into 
insignificance  before  that  which  claims  not  only  that 
these  images  but  written  messages  come  on  photo¬ 
graphic  plates  which  have  never  been  exposed.  Ex¬ 
traordinary  claims  demand  extraordinary  evidence, 
and  this  is  given  as  freely  as  possible  within  my  lim¬ 
ited  space.  I  could  readly  devote  the  entire  book  to 
Psychography,  but  the  following  must  suffice. 

Psychography  (G.  psuche,  soul;  graphein  to  write) 
means  writing  by  sold  or  psychic  power.  The  term 
covers  a  much  wider  range  of  phenomena  than  non¬ 
camera  photography.  All  designs,  figures,  portraits, 
&c.,  written — impressed,  precipitated — on  papers, 
slates,  walls  or  other  surfaces,  by  spirit  power  are  psy¬ 
chographs. 

In  the  Hebcew  Scrpitures — Old  Testament — several 
instances  are  given.  The  “writing”  which  appeared 

237 


338  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


during  the  impious  feast  of  Belshazzar  in  Babylon, 
“on  the  plaster  of  the  wall  of  the  king’s  palace,”  is 
a  striking  case.  Psychic  writings  obtained  in  modern 
times  may  not  be  so  terrifically  prophetic  or  so  drasti¬ 
cally  fulfilled,  but  the  characteristics  are  similar,  i.  e., 
they  are  produced  by  spirit  or  occult  agency,  and  In¬ 
telligence  is  indicated  in  the  designs,  letters  and  mes¬ 
sages  given.  A  true  psychograph  is  produced  without 
the  agency  of  mortal  hands  and  exhibits  intelligence 
other  than  that  of  the  investigators.  Except  one  or 
two  instances,  I  limit  my  cases  to  those  of  portraits  or 
graphs  obtained  on  photographic  plates. 

In  our  experiments  with  Mr.  David  Duguid  on  one 
occasion  we  obtained  a  satisfactory  psychograph  on  a 
piece  of  paper  which  was  shown,  folded  and  placed 
in  a  small  tin  box,  in  the  presence  of  eleven  persons. 
The  closed  box  was  placed  on  a  table  and  the  light 
turned  out.  In  three  minutes’  time  a  direct  painting 
in  several  colours  was  given  and  within  the  folds  of  the 
paper,  in  the  closed  box  was  written  “God  bless  you. 
Lesnith.  ”  Many  things  took  place  during  the  seance 
that  night.  Neither  Duguid  nor  anyone  present — ex¬ 
cept  one — knew  what  was  meant  by  “Lesnith.”  The 
paper  was  mine.  Mr.  Auld,  who  folded  up  the  paper 
and  put  it  in  the  box,  was  startled  with  the  result. 
“Lesnith”  was  one  known  and  very  dear  to  him,  but 
from  whom  no  message  of  any  kind  was  expected.  It 
was  a  spontaneous  and  striking  bit  of  evidence.  The 
following  is  of  interest  and  illustrated  graphically 
what  “spirit  writing”  is. 


PSYCHOGRAPHY 


339 


Mr.  A.  Brittlebank  (whose  address  is  Salisbury 
Hotel,  Anderson  Street.  Johannesburg,  Transvaal. 
United  Smith  Africa)  was  a  guest  of.  and  attended 


Fig.  78.  Psychograph  or  ‘‘direct”  writing  given  at  a  Seance 
held  in  Pretoria  on  21st  Dec.,  1908,  at  which  the  Spirit  of 
Signor  Ricci  drew  his  own  Picture,  of  which  the  above  is 
a  Photograph  supplied  by  Mr.  George  Baker  and  forwarded 
for  this  book  by  Mr.  A.  Brittlebank. 


many  seances  given  by  an  Austrian  medical  man,  Dr. 
Meyer,  who  resided  for  a  time  in  Pretoria.  As  the 
doctor  was  a  non-professional  psychic,  I  do  not  give 
his  address,  hut  I  give  the  facts. 


340  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


Mr.  George  Baker,  who  supplied  the  photograph,  in 
his  letter  dated  Pretoria,  10th  April,  1910,  says: — 

When  the  original  sketch  was  produced,  the  top 
of  the  pencil  was  brilliantly  lit,  like  a  small  incan¬ 
descent,  lamp,  and  the  movements  were  exceedingly 
rapid.  The  whole  drawing  was  executed  in  about  five 
seconds.  Please  note  on  the  right  arm  the  name  S. 
Ricci,  which  I  only  discovered  in  copying.  The  Italian 
under  the  drawing  is — “  Questo  f  ui  io  un  di,”  mean¬ 
ing,  As  I  looked  when  I  was. 

The  following  remarkable  psychograph  was  given 
at  a  seance  held  at  Pretoria,  21st  Dec.,  1908,  by  the 
spirit  known  as  Signor  Ricci,  who  declared  himself  to 
be  a  great  reformer  of  the  (Roman)  Catholic  Church, 
and  said  he  was  born  at  Florence,  9th  June,  1741,  and 
died,  27th  June,  1810. 

Mr.  A.  Brittlebank,  who  sent  me  the  translation, 
made  by  Baron  Von  Alilefeldt,  Pretoria,  says : — 

The  whole  of  the  message  was  rendered  in  the  very 
best  Italian,  legible  and  good  penmanship.  The  time 
occupied  did  not  exceed  twenty  seconds.  It  was 
given  in  darkness  under  the  same  conditions  as  the 
drawing. 

THE  MESSAGE. 

Death  is  the  separation  of  the  immortal  element  of 
the  human  aggregate  from  the  two  perishable  ones, 
life  and  body.  The  soul  is  both  immortal  and  im¬ 
material  ;  the  body  both  material  and  mortal.  The 
soul  is  eternal,  the  life  is  liable  to  destruction.  The 
body  that  was  my  shelter  is  only  a  temporary  place 
of  abode.  The  soul  is  immaterial,  immortal,  imperish¬ 
able,  it  is  endowed  with  intelligence,  conscience,  will, 
and  is  not  liable  to  decline,  decrepitude  or  death.  On 


PSYCHOGRAPHY 


341 


the  contrary,  it  is  perfected  through  exercise,  thus  at¬ 
taining  the  great  end. 

The  life  or  vital  principle  is  neither  material  nor 
immortal,  thus  distinguishing  itself  from  soul  and 
body  as  heat,  electricity,  and  other  powers  still  un¬ 
known  to  you.  Life,  an  immaterial  power,  is  perish¬ 
able  and  dies.  It  is  a  transmitable  power,  an  archi¬ 
tectonic,  plastic,  organising  power,  acting  instinctively 
and  without  knowledge.  Life  is  subject  to  develop¬ 
ment,  to  a  climax  and  then  to  a  gradual  decline,  end¬ 
ing  with  ultimate  destruction. 

Death  is  the  parting  of  the  immortal  element.  After 
death,  the  body,  being  no  longer  protected  by  the 
vital  principle,  falls  under  the  power  of  the  chemical 
forces,  and  life,  as  electricity,  vanishes  away.  Through 
the  dissolution  of  the  body,  the  soul  sets  itself  free 
from  its  corporeal  enclosure  and  passes  into  the  ether, 
leaving  behind  everything  that  is  earthy  and  heavy. 

The  scale  of  perfection,  from  algae  and  zoophvta  to 
mollusca  and  up  to  man  goes  on  following  the  same 
hierarchy,  and  our  knowledge  is  unlimited  and  our 
studies  are  incomprehensible  to  you.  Man  shall  never 
understand  such  a  fact,  though  human  knowledge  is 
destined  to  become  wider  and  wider. 

Use  reason,  observation,  experience,  talent,  don’t  be 
afraid  of  new  tilings,  don’t  allow  yourself  to  be  ruled 
by  neophobia,  and  thus  you  will  be  able  to  formulate 
laws  and  not  simple  statements. 

I  do  not  know  that  Signor  Ricci  was  a  priest  who 
served  before  the  altar  in  the  Catholic  Church.  In 
fact  I  do  not  know  whether  he  ever  existed,  and  there¬ 
fore  I  do  not  know  that  the  message  given  emanated 
from  him  through  the  mediumship  of  Dr.  Meyer,  but 
I  have  every  confidence  in  my  informants  that  the 
phenomenon  took  place  as  described.  Among  those 


342  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


present  at  these  sittings,  in  addition  to  Mr.  Baker,  were 
Messrs.  Brett,  Nieosic,  Menzel,  Walker,  Dr.  Meyer, 
Baron  Von  Ahlefeldt,  and  several  others. 

Mr.  Sidney  Clarke,  now  sub-editor  of  the  Pretoria 
News,  in  his  letter  to  me,  dated  Pretoria,  12th  Dee., 
1910,  sent  me  a  fully  corroborated  account  of  de¬ 
scriptions  which  have  reached  me  from  other  sources, 
and  says : — 

These  things  I  have  described  I  can  swear  to.  Of 
course  I  would  not  swear  that  they  were  brought 
about  by  spirits,  but  neither  I  nor  anyone  else  could 
see  how  they  could  have  been  done  by  anyone  in  the 
circle. 

THE  TESTIMONY  OP  MADAME  ST.  HILL,  FORMERLY  OP 
PRETORIA,  TO  THE  SIGNOR  RICCI  PSYCHOGRAPHS. 

Hamilton  House, 

Rissik  Street, 
Johannesburg,  Transvaal, 

Feb.  7,  1911. 

Dear  Sir :  At  Mr.  Brittlebank ’s  request  I  am  send¬ 
ing  you  a  short  account  of  the  message  that  was  re¬ 
ceived  from  Dr.  Ricci  at  a  seance  held  at  the  resi¬ 
dence  of  Dr.  Meyer,  of  Pretoria,  during  the  month  of 
Dec.,  1909.  The  message  was  written  in  Italian  in 
direct  writing,  and  in  a  most  beautifully  clear  and 
distinct  hand,  but  on  account  of  the  words  joining  it 
was  a  little  difficult  to  translate.  During  the  time 
the  message  was  being  written  the  pen  appeared  to 
have  an  electric  spark  on  it  and  (as  nearly  as  I  can 
remember)  it  was  written  in  about  20  or  30  seconds. 

Besides  myself,  there  were  six  other  persons  pres¬ 
ent,  and  including  Dr.  Meyer  at  whose  house  we  were 
meeting  for  the  purpase  of  Psychic  Research. 

Yours  faithfully, 

(Mrs.)  A.  L.  St.  Hill. 


PSYCHOGRAPHY  343 

1  have  given  the  Ricci  drawing  and  writing  declared 
by  sane  and  reputable  persons  to  have  been  received 
as  stated.  Remarkable  as  the  case  is,  still  more  ex¬ 
traordinary  instances  have  been  reported  to  me,  hot 
this  must  suffice  for  this  phase  of  Psychography. 

PSYCHOGRAPHS  ON  PHOTOGRAPHIC  PLATES 

In  the  notable  experiments  conducted  by  the  late 
Mr.  J.  Traill  Taylor  with  Mr.  David  Duguid,  the  Glas¬ 
gow  trance-painting  medium,  in  1893,  two  outstanding 
features  were  noted — first,  the  lighting  of  the  psychic 
figures  as  (often)  different  to  that  of  the  material  sub¬ 
ject;  second,  the  focussing  was  (often)  different. 
These  two  features  were  problems  from  the  beginning 
of  spirit  photography,  and  the  butt  of  experts.  These 
two  points  supplemented  by  the  evidence  of  the  bin¬ 
ocular  stereoscopic  camera,  showing  that  the  psychic 
figures  were  neither  in  exact  relation  to  nor  iiftposed 
on  the  plates  at  the  same  time  as  the  subject,  led  the 
way  to  the  discovery  that  these  psychic  figures  came 
on  the  plates  out  with  all  known  laws  of  photography, 
therefore  by  other  than  photographic  processes. 

Following  the  discovery,  Mr.  Andrew  Glendinning 
was  the  first  in  Great  Britain  to  get  results  without 
the  camera.  As  Mr.  W.  T.  Stead  said.  “No  one  was 
better  qualified.”  It  soon  became  clear  that  the  light 
by  which  the  plates  were  affected  is  other  than  sun¬ 
light,  flashlight,  electricity,  incandescent  gaslight. 
What  this  light  is  is  not  as  yet  fully  known.  It  ap¬ 
pears  allied  to  the  violet  rays  of  the  spectrum. 


✓ 


344  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


Whether  so  or  not,  the  light  is  invisible  which  affects 
the  plates. 

The  author  of  “The  Veil  Lifted,”  in  his  lifetime, 
having  given  me  permission  to  make  certain  extracts 


Fig.  79.  Psychic  Picture  obtained  Without  Light  or  Camera 
by  Mr.  Andrew  Glendinning  and  a  Lady. 

from  that  work,  I  take  the  above  illustration  from  page 
145.  With  reference  to  this  case,  Mr.  Glendinning 
experimented  with  a  lady  in  private  life  who  was  a 
good,  but  non-professional  psychic.  Concerning  this 
he  says : — 

A  dry  plate  from  my  packet  of  unused  plates  was 


PSYCHOGRAPHY 


345 


placed  in  a  mahogany  slide.  The  lady  held  the  slide 
in  the  palms  of  her  hands.  She  was  under  continuous 
and  close  observation  in  a  well  lighted  room.  One  end 
of  the  slide  was  held  by  myself.  On  putting  the  plate 
in  the  developer,  the  child  appeared  on  it.  The  plate 
was  not  tampered  with  by  anyone,  nor  was  there  any 
opportunity  given  to  do  so,  nor  was  it  exposed  to 
light  until  after  it  was  developed  and  fixed. 

Although  1  have  no  definite  statements  about  this 
psychograph,  as  the  name  of  the  lady  is  withheld  and 
particulars  about  the  baby,  l  am  satisfied  that  Mr. 
Glendinning,  as  usual,  took  every  precaution.  Ad¬ 
mitting  the  possibility  of  psychic  photography,  and  of 
Mr.  J.  Traill  Taylor’s  deductions,  psychic  pictures 
without  the  camera  must  also  be  admitted.  1  have  ob¬ 
tained  these  two  with  Mr.  David  Duguid.  But  even 
if  I  had  not,  I  would  not  reject  the  word  of  Mr.  Glen¬ 
dinning. 

Both  Mr.  Traill  Taylor  and  Mr.  Glendinning  in  their 
experiments  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Duguid  found  that 
not  only  were  the  forms  and  faces  sometimes  positives 
and  sometimes  negatives,  hut  often  the  same  pictures 
came  with  equal  facility  with  the  camera  and  without. 
One  gentleman  (unknown)  had  been  photographed 
twice  by  Mr.  J.  T.  Taylor  and  five  times  by  Mr.  Glen¬ 
dinning.  Mr.  Stead  says: — 

His  general  appearance — sometimes  younger  than 
at  other  times — is  always  the  same.  And  the  strange 
thing  about  him  is  that  he  is  indifferent  whether  the 
plate  is  exposed  in  the  camera  or  merely  held  in  the 
hands  of  the  medium.  The  name  “D.  G.  Gosling” 
appears  on  some  of  the  negatives.  I  have  seen  one 


346  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


of  these.  Whether  anyone  has  been  able  to  identify 
this  “D.  G.  Gosling”  I  have  yet  to  learn. 

Such  were  some  of  the  results  obtained  at  this  pe¬ 
riod.  Before  passing  on  to  matters  of  interest  nearer 
to  the  present  time,  I  give  one — out  of  several — ob¬ 
tained  by  Mr.  Glendenning. 

In  an  article  contributed  to  Borderland  (Vol.  iii, 
p.  313,  1896)  on  “Some  Recent  Experiments  in  Dor- 
chagraphy,  he  says: — 

In  some  recent  experiments  I  used  during  these 
evenings  twenty-four  plates  and  obtained  abnormal 
images  on  nineteen.  Some  of  these  plates  were  not 
handled  at  all  by  Mr.  Duguid ;  some  he  did  not  so 
much  as  see  till  I  removed  the  black  paper  wrappings 
from  them  and  put  them  into  the  developing  tray. 
Sometimes  he  requested  me  to  develop  and  fix  the 
plates  myself  without  any  help  from  him,  as  he  pre¬ 
ferred  to  be  merely  an  onlooker  of  my  manipulations. 
The  pictures  Nos.  1,  2,  and  3  were  the  clearest  of  the 
first  night’s  experiments.  The  plates  and  chemicals 
were  supplied  bv  me. 

Among  the  psychographs  obtained  was  one  of  Mr. 
G.  ’s  brother  Alexander,  referred  to  elsewhere.  On  this 
being  examined  in  Edinburgh  it  was  found  that  round 
the  psychic’s  neck  seaweed  was  discovered.  This  was 
a  remarkable  test  of  identity.  Alexander  G.  was 
drowned  at  sea. 

The  Rev.  Charles  Hall  Cook.  B.  D.,  A.  M.,  Ph.D., 
had  among  his  many  experiences  evidence  of  the  genu¬ 
ineness  of  phyehography.  His  account  is  all  the  more 
interesting  as  the  arrangements  were  spontaneous  on 


PSYCHOGRAPIIY 


347 


his  part  and  Wyllie  was  not  aware  of  the  doctor’s 
wishes  till  the  moment  the  experiment  was  entered 
upon.  It  was  the  doctor’s  intention  to  further  ex¬ 
periment  with  the  camera — Wyllie ’s  once  more — in 
order  that  comparisons  might  be  made  with  those  ob¬ 
tained  with  Ur.  Cook’s  camera,  as  previously  related 
in  these  pages. 

Having  purchased  a  fresh  box  of  plates,  5x4,  for 
this  purpose,  lie  opened  the  box  in  his  dark-room  at 
the  Willard  Hotel,  San  Yiego,  and  marked  them  there. 
However,  when  he  called  upon  Mr.  Wyllie  at  his 
rooms  in  the  Albion,  the  doctor  says: — 


1  changed  my  mind,  and  on  entering  bis  room  I 
said,  “Mr.  Wyllie,  let’s  try  without  a  camera.”  ‘We 
might  try,’  he  said.  Whereupon  they  entered  the 
dark-room  and  the  doctor,  taking  a  plate  from  the 
box  which  he  had  in  his  pocket,  held  it  at  the  corners 
at  one  end,  never  letting  it  for  a  moment  out  of  his 
fingers.  Mr.  Wyllie  similarly  held  it  firmly  at  the 
opposite  end.  At  the  expiration  of  about  a  quarter 
of  a  minute,  raps — very  slight— were  heard.  The 
doctor  then  took  full  charge  of  the  plate.  Taking  it  to 
the  Willard,  he  developed  it  and  found  the  experiment 
was  wholly  successful.  The  psychograph  obtained, 
with  the  doctor’s  private  mark.  Z.  proving  that  there 
had  been  no  shifting  or  exchanging  of  plates. 

The  face  produced  has  not  been  identified,  but  it 
looks  to  me  very  like  many  of  the  strong  and  non- 
spiritualised  faces  which  crop  up  in  Wyllie ’s  plates 
when  sitting  or  experimenting  under  test  conditions, 
which  are  never  so  facile  for  identifiable  pictures  as 


348  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


when  the  medium  and  the  subject  are  co-operating 
under  more  harmonious  and  unrestrained  conditions. 

Had  Dr.  Cook’s  testimony  been  uncorroborated, 
his  psychograph,  notwithstanding  his  critical  and 
carefully  detailed  procedure,  (which  I  have  not  re¬ 
produced)  might  be  rejected.  Fortunately  there  is 
no  phase  of  psycho-physics  more  fully  substantiated. 
Dr.  J.  K.  Funk  (of  the  well  known  firm  of  Funk  & 
Wagnells)  author  of  “The  Widow’s  Mite,”  bears  tes¬ 
timony  to  the  fact.  Dr.  IT.  A.  Reid,  of  Pasadena,  Cal., 
U.  S.  A.,  and  Dr.  William  J.  Pierce,  who  is  as  well 
known  in  London  as  in  New  York  City  and  San  Fran¬ 
cisco,  being  the  managing  director  of  business  houses 
there,  are  among  those  who  have  obtained  these  psy¬ 
chographs  with  Mr.  Wyllie.  Indeed,  the  latter  not  only 
obtained  them  with  Wyllie,  but  latterly  succeeded  in 
getting  them  himself.  Dr.  IT.  A.  Reid  reports  a  large 
number  of  eases  with  the  utmost  detail,  coupled  with 
evidence  of  the  standing  of  the  experimenters.  Space 
forbids  more  than  the  mention. 

The  Rev.  J.  T.  Wills,  D.  I).,  pastor  of  the  Franklin 
Street  Presbyterian  Church,  San  Francisco,  Cal.,  is 
another  who  experimented  and  obtained  undeniably 
good  results. 

Mr.  Arthur  G.  Krause,  The  Abbotsford,  San  Fran¬ 
cisco,  also  obtained  pictures  under  test  conditions, 
and,  writing,  11th  April,  1903,  says: — 

I  have  never  had  any  reason  to  believe  Mr.  Wyllie 
to  be  other  than  an  honest  man ;  nothing  suspicious 
about  his  actions  and  always  willing  to  submit  to  any 


PSYCHOGRAPHY 


349 


test  conditions  imposed  upon  him.  I  believe  Mr. 
Wyllie  does  not  and  can  not  control  the  power  that 
operates  through  him,  as  he  is  never  positively  cer¬ 
tain  whether  there  is  or  is  not  anything  on  the  plate 
he  places  his  hands  upon. 

TESTIMONY  OF  MR.  WALTER  JONES,  OF  STOURBRIDGE 

Before  giving  Mr.  Jones’  interesting  account,  1  will 
state  that  the  late  Mr.  Lacey  had  a  special  gift  or  me- 
diumship  for  these  psychic  productions.  His  reputa¬ 
tion  was  the  best.  Mr.  Blackwell,  from  whom  this 
portrait  was  obtained,  is  a  gentleman  of  standing, 
whose  personal  worth  is  too  well  known  to  need  any 
testimony  from  me.  Mr.  Jones — who  is  less  known 
in  matters  of  psychical  research — is  a  prominent  man 
of  business.  lie  was  the  sole  proprietor  for  thirty- 
five  years,  and  is  now  the  managing  director  of  Messrs. 
Jones  &  Attwood,  Ltd.,  heating  specialists  and  iron 
founders,  Stourbridge.  He  is  the  author  of  “Heating 
By  Water,”  which  has  run  through  several  editions, 
and  his  addresses  on  various  technical,  social  and  mu¬ 
nicipal  subjects  have  a  wide  circulation.  As  an  au¬ 
thority  on  local  government,  as  well  as  a  practical  man 
of  affairs,  no  man  is  better  known  in  the  district  in 
which  he  lives.  In  the  iron  and  steel  world  and  in 
scientific,  sanitary  and  municipal  circles,  his  manifest 
ability  has  long  been  recognised.  As  a  correspondent 
I  hold  him  in  high  esteem.  I  have  found  him  as  mod¬ 
est  in  his  statements  as  courageous.  He  has  not  hid¬ 
den  the  psychic  facts  which  came  to  him,  lest  the  tell¬ 
ing  of  them  would  hurt  him  in  trade  and  commerce, 


350  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


or  give  offence  to  his  friends.  Permission  to  publish 
the  following  is  an  instance  of  his  adherence  to  what 
he  sincerely  believes  to  be  the  truth.  It  is  with  pleas¬ 
ure  I  produce  his  account  to  me,  of  12th  Nov.,  1909, 


Fig.  80.  Portrait  of  the  Late  Mrs.  Jones  from  the  Latest  Pho¬ 
tograph  taken  in  life. 

with  the  photograph  (taken  in  life)  of  Mrs.  Jones, 
and  what  led  up  to  obtaining  the  psychically  produced 
portrait. 

COINCIDENCE  OR  DESIGN — WHICH  ?  * 

Why  does  a  stray  paragraph  in  an  obscure  journal. 

♦This  also  appeared  as  an  article  in  The  Two  Worlds,  Dec., 
1909, 


PSY  CHOGRAPHY 


351 


or  a  chance  remark  made  by  an  ordinary  individual, 
apparently  in  the  most  casual  manner,  arrest  the 
thoughts  and  demand  something  more  than  a  passing 
attention  ? 

For  some  reason  or  other  the  question  of  psychic 
or  spirit  photography  appears  to  have  been  dogging 
my  footsteps  for  several  months  and  I  have  asked  my¬ 
self,  Is  it  accidental,  is  it  simply  coincidence,  or  is  it 
design  ?  What  is  the  purpose,  and  how  can  that  pur¬ 
pose  be  best  served? 

On  Saturday,  Aug.  7,  1909,  my  daughter  and  I 
went  for  a  cruise  on  board  the  Amazon,  in  the  fiords 
of  Norway.  I  made  the  acquaintance  of  two  youths, 
who  were  accompanied  by  an  aunt  (Miss  M.,  of  Lon¬ 
don.)  One  of  the  youths  (S.  J.  S.)  stated,  and  his 
aunt  confirmed  the  statement,  that  she  had  received  a 
message  (by  automatic  writing)  stating  that  she  could 
safely  trust  the  lads  with  Air.  Jones,  for  lie  was  a 
seeker  after  the  light.  This  struck  me  as  somewhat 
remarkable.  Some  months  previously,  when  presid¬ 
ing  at  a  meeting  at  Wolverhampton,  where  Mr.  J.  J. 
Morse  gave  the  lecture,  I  stated  I  was  not  a  Spiritual¬ 
ist,  but  a  ‘seeker  after  the  truth.’  I  asked  the  lady  if 
she  was  a  Spiritualist.  She  replied  ‘No’!  ‘Do  you 
believe  in  spirit  photography?’  ‘Oh,  yes;  a  friend 
of  mine  has  hundreds  of  them.’  At  my  request  she 
gave  me  the  name  and  address  of  the  gentleman,  and 
promised  an  introduction. 

On  my  return  home,  the  first  thing  that  arrested 
my  attention  was  a  short  article  by  Mr.  S.  Barnett,  in 
The  Two  Worlds ,  for  Aug.  20,  entitled  ‘Spiritualism 
on  Shipboard,’  in  which  he  stated  that  before  leaving 
England  he  ‘spent  a  delightful  evening  with  Mr.  II. 
Blackwell,  the  possessor  of  some  tiro  thousand  spirit 
photos.  ’ 

My  interest  was  aroused.  I  had  not  seen  any  direct 
spirit  photography.  On  writing  Mr.  Blackwell  he 
wrote  to  me  saying  that  he  would  be  pleased  to  see 
me,  I  called  on  Wednesday,  Sept.  22,  and  spent  six 


352  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


hours  with  him,  when  he  courteously  showed  me  the 
greatest  assortment  of  psychic  photos  in  the  posses¬ 
sion  of  any  single  individual.  Just  before  I  said 
good-bye,  he  gave  me  one  out  of  his  collection,  pro¬ 
duced  without  the  aid  of  a  camera.  Was  it  merely  a 


Fig.  81.  Psychograph  of  Mrs.  Jones  as  obtained  by  the  Late 
Mr.  C.  Lacey  and  Friend  shortly  after  Mrs.  Jones’  Transi¬ 
tion. 


coincidence  that  this  particular  photograph  should 
be  recognised  by  myself  and  several  intimate  personal 
friends  as  that  of  mv  dear  wife,  who  passed  away  on 
Feb.  15,  1897. 

On  my  return,  I  examined  the  photo  and  was  im¬ 
pressed  with  the  striking  likeness.  I  showed  it  to  my 


PSYCHOGRAPH Y 


353 


son  and  daughter  and  several  other  intimate  friends, 
six  persons,  none  of  them  Spiritualists  or  Psychics, 
who  entered  the  room  without  knowing  what  had  pre¬ 
viously  transpired,  and  they  remarked  on  the  strik¬ 
ing  resemblance  of  the  photo  to  my  departed  wife. 

The  psychic  photo  was  posted  by  Mr.  Jones  to  a 
friend  of  his,  Mrs.  Wilson,  a  clairvoyant  Spiritualist. 
Mr.  Jones,  without  saying  of  whom  it  was,  asked 
‘Can  you  give  me  any  information  about  this?  Is  it 
the  photo  of  someone  I  have  personally  met?  I  am 
anxious  to  get  at  the  bottom  of  this  matter  for  reasons 
which  I  will  explain  later.’ 

Mrs.  Wilson  (who  had  never  met  his  wife)  replied 
‘I  don’t  know  how  long  Mis.  Jones  has  been  passed 
on,  but  I  certainly  see  a  likeness.  I  feel  that  it  is  a 
genuine  photo  of  spirit  production.  Moreover,  I  can¬ 
not  disconnect  the  influence  from  your  surroundings. 
I  am  sure  you  have  met  and  held  close  intercourse.’ 

I  have  given  somewhat  curtailed,  Mr.  Jones’  inter¬ 
esting  revelation,  but  more  fully  than  at  first  intended, 
owing  to  the  striking  evidence  therein  of  “design” 
and  nothing  of  coincidence  or  accident.  Please  note 
the  steps  which  Mr.  Jones  was  led  to  take  and  how  dif¬ 
ferent  persons  on  the  earth  plane,  unknown  to  and 
apart  from  one  another,  were  influenced  subsequently 
to  the  passing  over  of  Mrs.  Jones: — 

1.  Mr.  Jones  has  his  attention  drawn  to  the  sub¬ 
ject  of  Spiritualism. 

2.  Sufficiently  interested  to  preside  at  a  meet'ng 
of  Spiritualists,  not  as  a  Spiritualist,  but  as  a  seeker 
after  the  truth. 


354  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


3.  Is  dogged  or  pursued  with  the  subject  of  Spirit 
Photography.  A  fact  which  I  knew  to  be  true. 

4.  His  attention  is  arrested  by  a  stranger  who  de¬ 
scribes  him  as  a  seeker  after  the  light. 

5.  Is  assured  of  the  genuineness  of  spirit  photogra¬ 
phy  and  given  the  name  and  address  of  a  gentleman 
in  London. 

6.  On  returning  from  his  trip,  reads  about  Air.  II. 
Blackwell,  in  the  Rev.  Mr.  Barnett’s  article.  Is  fur¬ 
ther  interested  in  the  subject. 

7.  Visits  Mr.  Blackwell  by  appointment  and  out  of 
that  gentleman’s  2000  spirit  photos  is  handed  one. 

8.  It  is  the  spirit  produced  portrait  of  his  wife,  ob¬ 
tained  without  light  or  the  camera  years  before. 

9.  Neither  the  late  Mr.  Lacey,  who  obtained  it,  nor 
Mr.  Blackwell,  who  presented  it  to  Mr.  Jones,  knew 
the  latter,  or  were  aware  of  whom  the  psychic  picture 
was  the  portrait.  It  was  classed  as  “unrecognised.” 

11.  This  portrait  is  recognised  by  Mr.  Jones  and 
family,  and  by  several  friends — without  prompting — - 
as  the  likeness  of  the  late  Mrs.  Jones.  None  of  these 
friends  were  Spiritualists. 

12.  It  is  psychically  recognised  by  a  trusted  clair- 
voyante,  who  also  received  and  delivered  a  message 
from  the  original  of  the  portrait. 

13.  It  has  since  the  first  recognition  by  the  hus¬ 
band  of  the  lady  been  seen  and  recognised  by  many 
friends.  This  is  the  crux.  There  is  no  higher  evi¬ 
dence  than  a  truly  identifiable  portrait. 

14.  Out  of  the  collection  which  Mr.  II.  Blackwell 


PSYCIIOGRAPIIY  355 

purchased  from  the  estate  of  the  late  Mr.  C.  Lacey, 
this  one  was  handed  to  the  right  person,  and  the  only 
one  which  has  been  identified. 

There  is  no  “Collective  Hallucination”  here,  but 
the  most  complete  evidence  of  Spirit  Direction,  and 
this  may  be  truly  called  a  genuine  portrait  of  spirit 
production. 


CHAPTER  XVI 


PSYCTIOGRAPHY— CONTINUED 

Mrs.  Bright,  the  well-known  Editor  of  the  Har¬ 
binger  of  Light,  Melbourne,  Australia,  in  writing  to 
me  (  24th  March,  1910)  says: — 

We  who  have  had  most  experience  feel  that  nothing 
is  known  for  absolute  certainty  about  these  things.  A 
leading  photographer  here,  now  retired,  devotes  him¬ 
self  to  trying  to  get  spirit  photographs.  He  had  a 
curious  experience  a  short  time  ago.  He  simply  holds 
the  plates  in  his  hands.  One  day  in  Sydney,  on  a 
visit,  he  had  been  much  interested  in  watching  a  man 
in  a  canoe  in  the  harbour.  This  is  not  seen  in  Mel¬ 
bourne.  That  night  he  held  his  plate.  Next  day  de¬ 
veloped  it.  There  was  a  small  figure  on  the  plate, 
and  this  on  close  examination  proved  to  be  a  reproduc¬ 
tion  of  the  man  in  the  canoe,  of  the  previous  day’s 
interest. 

Here,  and  I  have  no  reason  to  doubt  the  report,  we 
get  at  one  fact  and  that  is  that  an  impression — a  visual 
one — which  excited  interest  in  one  who  was  a  suitable 
psychic,  was  conveyed  to  the  plate  as  revealed  on  de¬ 
velopment.  It  would  not  make  the  slightest  differ¬ 
ence  supposing  that  the  psychic  had  this  actual  ex¬ 
perience  and  subsequently  had  forgotten  it,  if  pro¬ 
duced  later  by  the  same  means.  From  this  instance 


35G 


PSYCHOGRAPIIY 


357 


it  is  possible  to  conclude  that  many  of  the  faces  and 
forms  which  appear  as  “extras”  on  photographic 
plates  or  as  images  in  psychography  have  either  at 
one  time  been  within  the  field  of  vision  of  the  psychic 
or  they  have  been  psychically  impressed — and  these 
have  been  subsequently  reproduced  by  photographic 
or  psychographic  procedure. 

THE  COELEY-HOOPER  PSYCHOGRAPHS 

In  dealing  with  more  recent  cases,  I  wish  to  men¬ 
tion  that  the  Ven.  Archdeacon  Colley,  rector  of 
Stockton,  Rugby,  was  good  enough  to  send  me  albums 
containing  many  of  the  psychographs  which  he  ob¬ 
tained  through  the  mediumship  of  Dr.  T.  D’Aute- 
Ilooper,  Birmingham,  at  the  Crewe  Circle,  and 
through  the  psychics  of  that  Circle  when  visiting 
him.  He  favoured  me  with  the  option  of  producing 
nine  cases,  sending  with  each  a  full  descriptive  report. 
I  should  have  been  pleased  to  give  these,  as  the  evi¬ 
dence  in  their  favour  was  of  a  striking  character 
However,  for  the  purposes  of  lectures  and  demonstra¬ 
tion  before  the  Church  Congress  in  1910,  the  blocks 
were  returned.  I  am  thoroughly  satisfied  with  the 
evidence  in  the  cases  submitted  by  the  ven.  gentle¬ 
man,  not  only  from  his  own  account,  but  from  a  care¬ 
ful  inspection  of  letters  and  testimonies  in  relation 
thereto  by  persons  in  position  to  state  the  facts. 

Mr.  William  Marriott,  in  a  London  magazine,  ex¬ 
pressed  the  opinion  that  if  it  were  not  for  the  money 
in  it  mediumship  would  be  non-existent.  I  suppose 


358  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


if  it  were  not  for  the  money  in  it  many  persons  would 
not  wiite  magazine  articles  or  give  conjuring  exhibi¬ 
tions.  Whether  the  labourer  is  worthy  of  his  hire  or 
not,  it  is  for  those  who  pay  him  to  decide.  There 
are,  however,  thousands  of  psychics  who  never  receive 
payment  for  their  services.  Not  that  they  are  not 
worthy  of  it,  but  they  decline  payment.  I  can  vouch 
for  this,  that  Dr.  Hooper  has  never  asked  or  received 
a  fee  for  the  exercise  of  his  mediumhsip.  This  is  not 
all,  his  services  have  never  been  acknowledged  by 
those  who  have  had  convincing'  proof  of  the  genuine¬ 
ness  of  psychography  through  his  agency.  Neither 
then  in  money,  honour,  nor  acknowledgement  has  Dr. 
Hooper  ever  received  compensation  for  his  services. 

In  giving  the  following  six  psychographs,  it  will  be 
the  first  time  Dr.  Hooper’s  invaluable  services  to 
scientific  experimentation  in  psychography  has  been 
acknowledged. 

The  photograph  was  taken  by  Mr.  Young,  pho¬ 
tographer,  Warwick,  at  his  own  suggestion  and  with 
Ids  own  plates,  in  Dr.  Hooper’s  consulting  room 
(July,  1906).  The  “extras”  are  fully  identified.  The 
first  is  that  of  an  uncle  of  the  subject;  the  second  is 
that  of  the  father  of  Mrs.  Hooper.  The  third  is  the 
portrait  of  a  guide  of  the  medium,  who  is  called 
“Segaske”  claiming  to  have  been  a  “medicine  man,” 
in  earth-life,  and  is  believed  to  be  the  spirit  who  sup¬ 
plies  the  “X  force,”  by  which  these  psychography 
are  taken,  and  the  healing  power,  referred  to  in  the 


PSYCIIOGRAPHY 


359 


Ven.  Archdeacon  Colley’s  article,  “Healing  Medium- 
ship  in  the  Church  of  England.” 


Fig.  82.  Photograph  of  Dr.  Hooper  the  Birmingham  Psychic 
through  whom  the  Ven.  Archdeacon  Colley,  Stockton,  Rug- 
by,  obtained  many  of  the  remarkable  psychographs  which 
were  and  are  used  to  illustrate  the  lectures  delivered  by 
the  Ven.  gentleman  as  well  as  in  his  advocacy  before 
Church  Congresses  in  England,  and  in  his  contributions  t , 
the  press — at  home  and  abroad. 


360  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


Mr.  Young-  of  Warwick  has,  like  Air.  Bailey  of 
Birmingham,  considerable  experience  in  psychic  pho- 


Fig.  83.  Plate  No.  fi  of  the  Birmingham  Psyehographs.  The 
faces  thereon  are  not  known  to  Mr.  Harold  Bailey.  The 
Ven.  Archdeacon  Colley  has  not  stated  whether  he  recog¬ 
nizes  the  Psychic  Figures.  This  is  a  matter  of  Secondary 
Importance  in  view  of  the  Test  Conditions  and  the  Inter¬ 
esting  Material  in  the  Other  Five  Psychographs. 


PSY  CHOGR  APti  Y 


361 


tography,  and  as  a  reputable  and  practical  photogra¬ 
pher,  is  in  a  position  to  certify  to  the  genuineness  of 
many  of  the  psychographs  obtained  in  the  Colley- 
Hooper  test  experimentations. 

SIX  REMARKABLE  P SYCHOORANHS. 

Mr.  Harold  Bailey,  who  sends  me  the  particulars 
for  this  book,  was  formerly  a  photographer,  having 
17  years’  experience,  but  is  now  and  has  been  for 
many  years,  a  well-known  art  designer  in  the  city  of 
Birmingham.  In  his,  dated  4th  Oct.,  1910,  from  125 
Westfield  Road,  King’s  Heath,  he  says: 

The  facts  regarding  the  production  of  the  six  mar¬ 
velous  psychographs  are  as  follows: 

On  Aug.  12,  the  Yen.  Archdeacon  Colley,  of  Stock- 
ton  Rectory,  Warwickshire,  wrote  to  Dr.  Hooper,  of 
159  Gooch  St.,  Birmingham,  asking  him  if  he  could 
give  him  a  sitting  on  Thursday  next  (Aug.  18)  to 
(try  and)  get  some  results  for  a  special  Birthday 
Party  and  Lecture.  The  medium  had  to  decline, 
owing  to  the  fact  that  he  had  no  one  just  then  to  take 
his  place  in  the  event  of  suffering  from  the  severe 
nervous  exhaustion  which  takes  place  at  these  seances. 

I  had  been  present  at  a  number  of  seances  when 
the  venerable  gentleman  had  brought  his  own  un¬ 
opened  packets  and  bis  own  diamond  marked  plates. 
I  marvelled  at  the  results  and  I  asked  the  medium  if 
he  was  willing  to  try  and  get  results  on  a  packet  of  my 
own  plates,  to  which  he  acquiesced.  On  Tuesday, 
Aug.  16,  I  took  a  packet  of  *4  plates  to  Hooper’s 
house.  The  medium  simply  placed  his  hands  over 
mine  while  holding  the  packet  of  plates.  No  results 
were  felt.  I  then  put  the  packet  in  an  inner  coat 
pocket,  intending  to  visit  the  following  evening  for 


362  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


another  experiment.  The  plates  were  not  once  out  of 
my  possession  and  the  proceedings  on  Wednesday 
were  similar  to  those  of  the  evening  before,  excepting 
that  a.  short  time  after  the  medium  placed  his  hands 
over  mine  a  peculiar  vibration — which  increased  in 
intensity  till  a  heat  as  from  a  furnace — was  felt.  This 
was  followed  by  a  cool  breeze,  which  was  very  ap¬ 
parent. 

I  carefully  guarded  the  box  of  plates,  and  I  carried 
them  till  I  should  meet  the  Ven.  Archdeacon  at  the 
medium’s  residence  on  Thursday  evening  at  eight 
o’clock. 

I  described  my  procedure  to  the  Ven.  Archdeacon, 
and  handed  him  the  box  of  plates  to  examine,  which 
he  did  through  a  lens,  and  wrote  on  the  box  to  that 
effect.  When  Dr.  Hooper  had  finished  with  his  papers, 
we  sat  in  the  consulting-room,  Archdeacon  Colley 
holding  the  still  unopened  box  of  plates,  and  my  hands 
being  placed  over  the  Archdeacon’s,  and  the  medium’s 
being  placed  over  mine.  The  medium  passed  into  the 
trance  state.  The  controlling  spirit  told  many  things 
to  the  Archdeacon  entirely  unknown  to  the  medium 
and  myself,  which  he  said  were  true.  The  controlling- 
spirit  then  informed  us  that  she  was  going  to  leave 
the  medium  and  send  Segaske  (the  Indian  Chief  Avho 
generally  takes  charge  during  the  production  of 
psyehographs) . 

This  spirit  taking  control,  the  Ven.  Archdeacon 
asked  them  (the  Intelligences  operating  in  the  In¬ 
visible. — J.  C.)  to  write  if  possible  upon  a  special  sub¬ 
ject  suitable  for  his  lecture  the  next  day ;  also  if  they 
could  write  in  another  language.  They  promised  to 
try.  We  were  then  told  to  be  quiet  for  a  short  time, 
when  gradually  the  vibration  was  felt  increasing  in 
intensity,  accompanied  with  heat.  This  phenomenon 
lasted  for  about  three  to  five  minutes.  While  this 
was  taking  place,  the  Ven.  Archdeacon  asked  if  his 
friend  Samuel  Wheeler,  could  write  a  few  words,  to 
which  no  reply  was  given.  The  controlling  spirit  at 


PSYCHOGRAPHY 


363 


almost  the  same  instant  said  “Finished,”  and  told 
briefly  what  they  had  endeavoured  to  do.  The  me¬ 
dium  passing  from  the  trance  state,  the  Yen.  Arch- 


.  * 

*>=>~XX  -~  v*.  XJiv.  V  ■*«'»  ^  ,vr.» 

^  V‘**“  ^  .riv  >  s,\- 

>X  ^  >tX; 

*•**  iv.  q.~WV  VN^  -^.  J^vS."*. 

V-XA  - - -  V. _ - 


^  -fev.-V*.  r^N^Xl 

&  Nftft^x^aXx  X...Vx 

v.  ^  t  J**~>,,v*  ’ **  ' '  \ 

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«  ixN 


TA 


k.  i,  "••«'« 

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Vv^»»-v^  >J**^*-  V^V  'V.^  *i«Wi'v 

.  1  ">&.  <xv,v^  '.Xx  <a 

t^K****-  uXv»\*  «->-r-^»V  /»>>  *  » -  >*N>V-  v«^»*S\  i 

s«»ViV  ",  ^  #»C  >~N »  V*\  V* 

kX.  A^-rx .  ^  v. 


»  \*r  » 


v***»»^  >V*V  " 

rt  -^V  |M^W*X  *^*1 


xj  »X*»  V^\  >A\ 

,  tijW\  )<ii 

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V  **^-  >^Ux*V  w>4  I  S<*  IWV 

“V*4H,r*lvjrxfc»  VkvXoKvK^  A>. 

*  MHV  «r^A^vw\  \ 

^J-J^r-  *Av.  m-  ''  •*vAv  ,  v» « -  t  * 

X**s»vvvJ  .  *X(.N  ,  ^4AJ>  *»', 

*'  '‘nil  \»N..  I  ,-i 


*>*•*.»... 


Fig.  84.  No.  1  Plate  of  Birmingham  Psychographs. 

deacon  again  carefully  examined  the  box  of  plates 
and  being  satisfied,  cut  the  outer  wrapper  around  the 
box,  keeping  the  two  ends  intact  to  prove  that  they 
had  not  been  tampered  with,  and  removed  each  end 
as  a  sliding  cover. 


364  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


We  then  adjourned  to  the  dark-room,  the  Ven.  Arch¬ 
deacon  opening  the  box,  and  carefully  examining  the 
wrappings,  snapping  the  film  that  hinged  the  plates 
film  to  film  and  developed  them  two  at  a  time  in  a 
half-plate  dish,  with  pyro  developer.  Then  after  a 
few  seconds  we  could  see  writing  coming  up  through 
the  developer,  the  writing  being  black  in  a  transparent 
ground,  being  in  fact  a  positive  instead  of  a  negative, 
which,  when  printed  forms  mirror  writing.  Five 
plates  are  covered  with  minute,  neat  writing  in  Eng¬ 
lish,  and  one  entirely  in  Latin.  Neither  of  the  three 
present  knowing  sufficient  of  Latin  to  translate  it. 
Many  of  the  things  mentioned  in  the  psychographs 
are  known  and  one  circumstance  has  come  to  pass. 
The  message  from  Robert  I  take  to  be  from  my  brother, 
an  artist  who  passed  away  a  few  years  ago. 

It  seems  also  that  they  knew  of  the  unexpressed 
wish  of  the  Ven.  Archdeacon,  for  there  is  a  note  in 
the  characteristic  handwriting  of  his  old  friend,  with 
the  Greek  Epsison  used  instead  of  an  E,  as  the  Arch¬ 
deacon  pointed  out,  always  appeared  in  his  writing 
whilst  on  earth. 

I  give  the  other  five  plates  and  a  transcript  of  their 
interesting  contents,  in  addition  to  a  “free”  transla¬ 
tion  of  the  Latin,  a  brief  note  of  explanation  about  the 
departed,  as  well  as  of  the  living  persons  referred  to 
in  plate  No.  4. 

T  ranscript. 

Friends,  Greetings.  In  this  my  first  communion 
through  this  phase  of  mediumship,  I  do  not  wish  you 
to  treat  this  as  a  concio  ad  clerium  (1)  but  rather 
for  the  commium  bonum  (2)  and  I  hope,  dei  gracia, 
thousands  will  be  comforted  thereby.  The  old  saying 
was  de  mortuis  nil  nisi  bonum  (3),  and  then  a  more 
modern  school  of  skeptics  altered  it  to  de  nihilo  niJii- 
lum,  in  nihilum  nil  posse  reverti  (4)  trying  to  prove 

(1)  Signifying  archaic ;  discovered  to  clergy.  (2)  Tlie  com¬ 
mon  good.  (3)  Speak  no  evil  of  the  dead.  (4)  Out  of  noth- 


PSYCIIOGRAPHY 


365 


that  the  dead  being  nothing,  nothing  can  come  from 
them.  But  it  is  only  necessary  to  read  history  and 
the  sacred  works  -of  antient  peoples  and  nations  to 


Fig.  85.  No.  2  Plate  of  Birmingham  Psvehographs. 


ing,  nothing  comes,  to  nothing  nothing  returns.  (5)  To  their 
fathers:  that  is,  dead.  (6)  Let  justice  prevail  though  the 
heavens  fall. 


366  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


know  that  what  is  termed  modern  Spiritualism  is  as 
old  as  the  world.  Sacred  History  teems  with  abun¬ 
dant  evidence  of  the  fact.  The  media  were  Prized  by 
the  Medes  and  Persians.  The  Delphic  Oracles,  the 
Cyprian  Priestesses,  who  were  brought  forward  at 
certain  feast  days  that  the  populace  could  commune 
with  their  ad  patres  (5). 

We  live,  we  move,  we  have  our  being,  we  are  only 
bidden  by  a  thin  veil  that  at  times  we  can  rend  apart 
and  commune  with  those  whom  we  love  still  in  the 
tiesh.  Mediums  should  be  cherished,  for  without  them 
we  are  helpless.  This  peculiar  organic  fitness  that  is 
necessary,  that  is  the  very  essence  of  our  success, 
should  receive  full  recognition.  Investigators  could 
not  receive  the  evidence  of  our  return  if  it  were  not 
for  our  mediums. 

Therefore  fiat  justicia,  mat  coelum  (6),  for  no  one 
has  the  right  to  abrogate  unto  themselves  that  power 
which  they  have  not.  “Honour  to  whom  honour  is 
due”  is  a  trite  saying  among  us,  therefore,  be  just  to 
the  worker. 

You  must  not  think,  my  friend,  that  we  do  not 
appreciate  the  stand  you  have  taken  in  the  matter, 
now  you  have  come  into  the  open  and  thrown  down 
the  gage  to  stand  by  the  principle  that  you  kno\y  to 
be  true. 

We  are  helping  from  our  Side,  and  we  hope  before 
long  to  help  in  bringing  about  a  happy  condition  of 
things  and  circumstances  by  the  aid  of  Umbolo*  in 
the  affairs  in  which  he  was  known  so  well  to  you  in 
the  land  of  his  fathers.  He  swears  by  the  beard  of 
his  fathers  and  the  honour  of  a  ringed  man  to  bring 
it  to  a  happy  termination  for  the  combined  benefit  of 
yourself  and  our  desire  for  you  to  spread  the  truth. 

We  wonder  why  that  the  denizens  of  earth  will 
read  and  think  contrary  to  the  spirit  of  the  teaching 
in  their  Holy  Writ.  It  is  only  necessary  to  read  and 
calmly  compare  the  phenomena  of  olden  days  chron- 


PSYCHOGRAPHY 


367 


idea  therein  and  modern  happenings  To  Prove  they 
are  one  and  the  *same,  only  given  in  different  times 
of  the  world’s  history. 


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Fig.  8G.  No.  3  Plate  of  the  Birmingham  Psychographs. 

To  those  who  wish  to  know  should  read.  Deut. 
xviii,  15;  1  Kings  xviii;  Jer.  xxiii ;  “And  it  shall 

*Note: — On  plate  No.  2  the  name  Umbolo  appears.  The 
Yen.  Archdeacon  Colley,  when  sending  me  the  SAPERE  AUDE 


368  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


come  to  pass  I  will  pour  out  my  spirit  upon  all 
flesh.  Your  sons  and  your  daughters  shall  proph¬ 
esy,  your  old  men  dream  dreams,  your  young  men 
see  visions.”  1  Sam.  iii.  1-2;  Ezekiel,  xiii,  23;  xii, 
23-24;  Mickah,  iii,  6;  Amos,  viii,  11;  Psalm  lxxiv,  9; 
1  Sam,  xxviii,  6;  Prov.  xxix,  18. 

For  writing  and  drawing  mediumship,  read  1  Chron. 
xxviii,  12,  19;  2  Chrons.  xxi,  12;  Exodus,  xxxi,  18 
and  xxxiv,  1,  28;  Dan,  v,  5. 

Materialisation,  Gen.  xviii,  8;  Gen.  xxxii,  21  30; 
Ezekiel,  ii,  9. 

Levitation,  Ezekiel,  iii,  12,  24;  xi,  1;  viii,  3. 

Power  to  resist  fire,  Dan.  iii,  21,  27 ;  Ileb.  xi,  24. 

Spirit  lights,  Exodus,  iii,  2 ;  xiii,  21. 

Healing  Mediumship,  Elisha,  2  Kings,  iv,  32 ;  2 
Kings,  v,  14;  1  Kings,  xiii,  6. 

Trance  and  visions,  1  Sam.  x,  6;  Ezekiel,  ii,  2 ;  Dan. 
x,  8-9 ;  Luke  i,  28 ;  ii,  9,  13 ;  Matt,  iii,  17 ;  Matt,  iv, 
11;  Mark,  ix,  4;  Luke  xxii,  43;  Matt,  xxvi,  53;  Malt, 
xxvii,  52  ;  Matt,  xxviii,  2  ;  Luke,  xxiv,  2 ;  John,  xx,  25  ; 
Mark  xvi,  9;  Mark  xvi;  17;  John,  xiv,  12;  Acts,  ii, 
29 ;  Acts,  iv,  31 ;  Acts,  xvi,  26 ;  Roms.,  i,  2. 

Then  carefully  read  1  Cor,'  xii,  1-31 ;  the  exhorta¬ 
tion  to  covet  the  best  Spiritual  gifts,  and  not  be 
ignorant  of  the  powers  that  God  in  his  blessing  has 

psychograph,  which  he  obtained  through  the  mediumship  of 
Dr.  Hooper,  informed  me  that  Umbolo  was  a  Zulu  u'mfaan, 
or  boy  servant  to  his  (the  Archdeacon’s)  son,  Captain  Colley, 
of  the  Royal  Horse  and  Royal  Field  Artillery,  then  in  Natal. 
Umbolo,  who  was  very  much  attached  to  the  Captain  was — 
towards  the  end  of  his  life — a  Zulu  Chief  or  Headman  of  his 
tribe  and  therefore  a  “Ring-man,”  hence  the  allusion  in  this 
psychograph.  This  is  not  the  only  time  Umbolo  has  given  a 
message  to  the  Archdeacon.  It  appears  to  me  the  assurances 
expressed  in  plate  No.  2  have  something  to  do  with  the  gold- 
bearing  property  in  the  Rand,  in  which  the  Ven.  gentleman 
possesses  such  a  large  interest,  and  which  maturing  will  make 
him  a  millionaire. 


PSYCHOGRAPHY  369 

showered  upon  you,  for  those  who  “seek  shall  find, 
knock  and  it  shall  be  opened  to  you  (the  gates  of  the 
spirit  world).  Listen  and  ye  shall  hear,  look  and  ye 


,tt  > x..V  v  •"  '  *  T 


V'" 

*  •  '  ,  .  „  J  .v"**  > ,CJ 

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A,„a  -  ■' 


Fig.  87.  Plate  4  of  the  Birmingham  Psychographs. 


shall  see.”  Therefore  strive  to  know  and  understand, 
and  when  the  knowledge  is  given  unto  ye,  pass  it  on, 
hide  it  not,  give  as  freely  as  ye  are  given,  for  there  is 


370  PHOTOGRAPHING  TPIB  INVISIBLE 


no  Proprietorship  in  the  knowledge  of  the  communion 
of  the  seen  with  the  unseen. 

It  may  be  for  a  short  time  here,  “  extinct  us  ambitin 
idem ”  (7)  the  same  as  the  noble  Nazarene.  There¬ 
fore  I  would  exhort  you  let  not  your  light  grow  dim. 
A  poor,  weary  soul  whom  you  knew  and  gave  light 
unto  his  feet,  sends  greetings  unto  you. 

F.  W.  Neville,  a  colleague  of  yours. 

Note  :  The  persons  mentioned  on  plate  4  are :  Rev.  F. 
W.  Neville,  who  held  a  living  near  Leamington.  He 
had  learned  a  great  deal  about  Spiritualism  before  he 
passed  over  from  John  Thomas,  Esq.,  J.  P.,  High 
Sheriff  of  Cardiganshire  a  friend  of  the  Ven.  Arch¬ 
deacon.  Mr.  Neville’s  demise  occurred  from  a  fall, 
which  took  place  within  four  months  of  the  death  of 
his  wife,  who  was  killed  by  lightning.  The  sad  story 
of  these  sudden  deaths  made  a  profound  impression 
in  the  neighbourhood.  The  Rev.  gentleman  has  fre¬ 
quently  communicated  since  passing  over,  through 
Dr.  Hooper,  and  by  means  of  psychography.  “Rob¬ 
ert” — Mr.  Bailey  informs  me — is  his  late  brother,  who 
in  his  lifetime  was  an  accomplished  artist  and  one  to 
whom  the  late  Sir  Henry  Irving  was  a  warm  friend. 
“Frances  Helene”  is  unknown.  It  is  surmised — ow¬ 
ing  to  reference  to  Frances  Dudley — she  came  for 
Lord  Leigh,  who  had  attended  a  seance  the  week  be¬ 
fore.  “Lily”  is  the  ascended  wife  of  the  Ven.  Arch¬ 
deacon.  Mrs.  Colley  has  also  frequently  manifested  in 
this  and  in  other  ways.  “Clarence”  is  the  Ven.  gen¬ 
tleman  ’s  son,  viz.,  Captain  Colley,  of  the  Royal  Horse 


(7)  Can  make  nothing  of  this. 


PSYCHOGRAPHY 


371 


and  Field  Artillery.  “A.  W.  C.”  is  Captain  Colley’s 
son.  lie  was  baptised  Arthur  Wellesley,  after  the 
Duke  of  Wellington,  whom  the  Archdeacon  informs 
me  was  a  Colley.  “Violetta,”  whose  bright  psychic 
photograph  I  have  seen,  cannot  be  identified  by  the 
ordinary  canons  of  evidence.  She  claims  to  be  the 
daughter  of  the  (or  a)  Duke  of  Lancaster,  who  lived 
in  feudal  times.  Whether  this  is  so  or  not,  her  ap¬ 
pearance  and  personality  are  well  known  to  the  mem¬ 
bers  of  the  Hooper  Circle.  Her  powers  of  divination 
and  of  repartee — a  curious  combination — are  noted. 
“Dumpy”  is  her  word-picture  for  the  Archdeacon. 
“My  Lord  College”  is  her  appellation  for  the  medium, 
“who  was  very  popular  among  the  students  and  mas¬ 
ters  of  Clifton  College,  on  account  of  his  hypnotic 
powers  and  gift  of  thought-reading.”  “Pecky”  is 
her  designation  for  Mrs.  Hooper,  who  had  occasion  to 
correct  “Violetta”  for  her  flippancies.  “Sad  Eyes” 
is  Mrs.  Sharman  (a  member  of  the  Circle)  who  has 
passed  through  much  suffering.  “Saxon  Sides”  ad¬ 
mirably  describes  Mr.  Bailey,  who  is  fair.  “Ajax,” 
who  frequently  manifests  in  the  Colley-Hooper  psy¬ 
chographs,  was,  I  am  informed,  an  American  divine, 
who  frequently  controls  the  medium.  “Samuel”  was 
the  Rev.  Samuel  Wheeler,  who  controlled  and  meterial- 
ised  through  Dr.  Francis  Monck,  in  the  seventies.  It 
was  at  Monck ’s  seances  that  the  Rector  of  Stockton 
obtained  his  first  proofs  of  Spiritualistic  phenomena; 
and  since  then  the  Ven.  gentleman  has  proved  himself 


372  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


both  a  sincere  friend  and  resolute  defender  of  the  de¬ 
parted  medium. 

I  regret  the  exigencies  of  space  prevent  a  fuller 


;  -Tv 

.*  »«.  »  4^. 

'  ^  ^  >  -*  ’As*  »N  »\  ^  "V'i 

’ 1  >  n  j,  ; 

,»>V\....s  \ ..... 

-..^:;:7c";V’A;AvxrT't> 

. .  \  _  >  J‘  ^  «n  i»iSk. 

v\  s  t  vN  '  s^  •>  ->V 

v<  ,<s  s ^  >*SSi  H  J.  N»3 

i-»  ».»««.*  .>*jjsy  y..>.\j<.,».ssv  »ii v5s>  ii»£ 

'  *  ksSnl  *  *  kk  »  <  >  l  l  t  1S1  >**  kiV_f 

,  <  .iIH  lsV))  ,Y\  ■si  t  ss\\  ^  ^\«Ss»jSy 


,,7sv\*svy>t  t  wSrMw'fc 

js\\  iv».«siV.^Viss.  (Al-tv c\jO 


t'^s\=»WS» 


t  'Ni  p**^U5. 

Aw  Ay  ><wNv 

v  ('Wv\N..  <AvN\§n  fc.Av  cWm-1,  , 
\a-\  ,  w*  ,»<*VrVy  (  js^NSs.  _ 

<\v(.vi  sV^jS,  t-w  y  i  J  •  ’  ^>\v>\ 

"v  N,S,  .^si  >»*  >> i  MtV>\PY 


'^>»  V5  iV 


a  .»Ar-'A^  'J,*vSV'?s'^vL 
,„»A  .\.VkC  •  ~*>iXS  ••  ~**  ’'’“'A  A  'V~*x 


lote.  The  : 
nvisibles  a 
hese  invest: 


graphs. 


;y  of  the 
jrned  in 
1  on  for 


PSYCHOGRAPIIY 


373 


many  years  now  in  Birmingham  and  elsewhere,  in 
which  Dr.  Hooper  has  been  the  principal  agent. 

A  spirit  known  as  Robert  wishes  to  make  his  pres¬ 
ence  known  to  some  one  here,  also  a  spirit  lady  known 
as  Prances  Helene,  inquires  for  Francis  Dudley,  and 
keeps  repeating  “All  comes  from  God.”  Lily  sends 
her  love  to  A,  W,  C,  Clarence  and  yourself.  Violetta 
sends  her  love  to  “Dumpy,”  and  says,  “Don’t  forget 
your  promise.”  Greetings  to  “My  Lord  College,” 
“Pecky, ”  “Sad  Eyes,”  and  “Saxon  Sides.”  Good¬ 
bye,  good-bye,  Deus  dit,  you  will  be  spared  to  spread 
the  truth,  is  the  prayer  ab  imo  pectore,  Ajax.  Hail 
friends !  Greetings.  Samuel. 

In  the  following,  several  words  are  inaccurate,  but 
Latin  scholars  will  know  what  is  meant. 

Eheu  fugaces,  Posthume,  Postliume, 

Labuntur  anni ;  nec  pietus  morain, 

Rugis  et  instanti  senectae. 

Afferet,  indamitalque  morti, 

Non,  si  trecenis,  quotquot  eunt  dies, 

Amice,  places  illachrymabilem, 

Plutino  tauris  qui  tir  amphim, 

Geryoren  Tityanque  tristi 
Compescit  unda,  Scilicet  omnibus, 

Quicunque  terrae  munere  vescimur, 
Enavigauda,  Sive  reges 
Sive  inopes  erimus  coloni. 

Frustra  cruento  Marte  carebimus 
Fractisque  racui  fluctibus  adrial ; 

Frustra  per  autum  nos  nocentum 
Corporibus  metuemus  Austiam : 

Visendus  ater  flumine  languido 
Cocvtus  errans,  et  Danae  genus 
Infame,  damnatusque  longi 
Sisyphus  Aeolides  laboris, 


374  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


Linquenda  tellus,  et  dormus,  et  placens 
Uxor ;  neque  harum,  quos  colis  arborum 
Te,  Praeter  invisus  cupressos, 

Ulla  brevem  dominum  sequetur 
Absumet  haeres  Calcuba  dignior 
Servata  centum  cavibus,  et  mere 
Ting  et  pavimenthum  superbum 
Pentificum  Poture,  coenis. 

“Free”  Translation,  II  Horace,  Ode  xiv. 

Ah,  Postumus,  Postumus,  the  fleeting  years  glide 
by,  bringing  in  their  train  to  just  and  unjust  alike, 
wrinkled  age,  inexorable  death. 

No,  my  friend,  not  even  by  lavish  sacrifice  from 
day  to  day  can  you  appease  remorseless  Pluto,  who 
confines  the  monster  Geryones  and  Tityos  with  sullen 
stream,  that  stream  which  must  at  last  be  crossed  by 
all  who  enjoy  earth’s  bounty,  by  prince  and  beggar 
alike. 

Bootless  is  it  to  avoid  the  blood-stained  field  and 
the  surging  billows  of  the  angry  deep ;  of  no  avail  to 
guard  against  noxious  winds  of  Autumn.  All  must 
cross  the  dark,  silent  stream  to  join  the  daughters  of 
Danaus  and  the  son  of  Aeolus,  doomed  to  everlasting 
toil. 

Fatherland,  home  and  loving  wife  must  be  left  be¬ 
hind.  Of  all  these  trees  which  for  a  brief  time  you 
tend  with  anxious  care  the  hated  cypress  alone  shall 
follow  you.  A  worthier  heir  shall  quaff  the  wine  you 
so  jealously  guard  and  recklessly  spill  your  most 
treasured  vintage. 

Archdeacon  Colley,  Rector  of  Stockton,  delivered 
an  Easter  sermon  on  Sunday  evening,  3rd  April, 
1910,  in  the  Parish  Church  of  Stockton. 

The  sermon  was  found  written  on  a  half-plate  which 


PSYCHOGRAPHY 


375 


had  been  sealed  up  in  a  light-proof  packet,  and  was 
held — says  the  veil,  gentleman — between  the  hands  of 
six  Christian  Spiritualists  for  39  seconds  only.  I  do 
not  propose  to  re-produce  the  sermon — which  was  re¬ 
ported  at  length  in  the  Leamington  Spa  Courier,  15th 
April,  1910;  as  we  are  less  concerned  with  the  opinions 
expressed  therein — albeit  it  is  worthy  of  re-produc¬ 
tion — than  with  the  phenomenon  described,  viz.,  one 
thousand  seven  hundred  words  written  (by  no  mortal 
fingers)  in  84  lines  within  the  compass  of  a  half-plate. 

The  Archdeacon  says : — 

The  smallness  of  the  copper-plate-like  writing  ren¬ 
ders  it  impossible  to  be  re-produced  by  any  engraving; 
while  at  times,  with  our  greatly  esteemed  unpaid  me¬ 
diums  in  various  circles,  the  writing  on  our  usual 
quarter-plates  is  so  microscopic  that  to  enable  us  to 
read  it  a  high  power  lens  is  necessary;  and  the  char¬ 
acter  of  the  caligraphy  in  English,  archaic  Greek, 
Latin,  Hebrew,  Italian,  French,  Arabic,  varies  con¬ 
tinually  in  our  several,  separate,  devotional  and  pri¬ 
vate  gatherings,  in  places  from  twenty-four  to  seventy- 
seven  miles  apart  where — like  (1),  (2),  (3) — we  meet 
as  directed  (St.  Matt.  vi.  6)  in  Faith  and  Love,  know¬ 
ing  from  long  experience  the  inscrutable  power  of 
Almighty  God,  “the  God  of  the  spirits  of  all  flesh’’ 
(Numbers  16-22  and  27-16)  who  thus  and  in  other 
ways  permits  the  angel  world  to  be  operated  in  this, 
and  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  to  dwell  abidingly  with 
us  on  earth. 

I  am  inclined  to  think  that  not  only  the  psychograph 
sermon  but  the  six  plates  produced  when  the  ven.  gen¬ 
tleman  was  the  suggester  of  the  nature  of  the  mesaage 
he  desired  to  obtain,  that  the  Intelligences,  operating 


376  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


through  the  mediumship  of  these  psychics,  found  their 
material  in  the  subconsciousness  of  the  Archdeacon  as 
the  subject-matter  is  of  the  character  of  knowledge 
either  present  now  or  at  one  time  possessed  by  a 
clergyman. 

I  have  seen  an  enlargement  of  the  original  psycho¬ 
graph  which  contained  the  sermon  referred  to.  It 
was  certainly  a  remarkable  psychograph.  Many — 
almost  as  phenomenal — psychographs,  have  been  and 
are  obtained  through  the  psychics  of  the  Crewe  Circle. 

In  giving  this  concluding  case  I  wish  to  note  that 
Mr.  W.  Walker,  (3,  Palace  Road,  Buxton,  my  corre¬ 
spondent,  a  photographer  of  forty  years’  experience, 
who  obtained  the  psychic  photograph  of  the  late  Mr. 
Alfred  Smedley,  at  Crewe),  had  the  promise  of  getting 
next  day,  8th  Nov.,  1910,  a  message  in  three  languages. 
For  this  purpose  Mr.  Walker  brought  his  own  plates 
and  these  (wrapped  in  light-proof  paper)  were  not 
out  of  his  possession  save  for  a  quarter  of  a  minute, 
while  being  impressed  between  the  lady  medium’s 
hands.  Even  then  the  packet  was  never  out  of  his 
sight. 

lie  developed  the  plate.  At  my  request  he  was 
good  enough  to  enlarge  the  photograph  for  these 
pages.  The  original  writing  can  only  be  read  through 
a  magnifying  glass. 

The  above  not  being  sufficiently  clear,  I  give  with 
it  a  rough  translation  of  the  French  and  Latin. 

Dear  Friends, — The  following  are  a  few  words  in¬ 
tended  to  prove  an  Intelligence  at  work  far  beyond 


PSYCHOGRAPHY 


377 


the  capabilities  of  the  sitters.  It  is  a  le  chef  d’oeuvre 
as  far  as  they  are  concerned.  Our  advice  to  you  at 
present  is  to  aucli  alteram  partem  de  crainte  que. 


378  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


You  may  make  a  mistake  and  be  misjudged.  Cedant 
arma  toga .  and  adfinem  asto  fidelis,  and  in  all  you  do 
ccdo  Deo. 


A  ROUGH  TRANSLATION. 

Dear  Friends, — The  following  are  a  few  words  in¬ 
tended  to  prove  an  Intelligence  far  beyond  the  capa¬ 
bilities  of  the  sitters.  It  is  a  masterpiece  as  far  as  they 
are  concerned.  Our  advice  to  you  at  present  is  to 
hear  both  sides,  lest  you  make  a  mistake  and  be  mis¬ 
judged.  Let  the  opponent  give  way  to  the  law,  and 
be  faithful  to  the  end,  and  in  all  you  do  submit  to 
Providence. 

The  “a”  before  le  chef  d’oeuvre  is  a  slip.  But  in¬ 
accuracies  are  of  no  importance  in  the  face  of  the 
manner  of  production.  None  of  the  sitters  could  have 
produced  the  message,  even  if  they  had  the  opportu¬ 
nity,  which  was  non-existent.  The  message  can  only 
be  read  from  the  film  side,  as  if  taken  by  camera ;  the 
latter  being  out  of  the  question. 

Mr.  Walker  has  had  a  certificate  signed  by  all  pres¬ 
ent,  but  this  is  not  produced  as  the  members  of  this 
Circle  have  to  earn  their  living  at  their  respective 
daily  employments  and  are  unable  to  give  sittings  to 
all  and  sundry,  which  further  publicity  would  bring  to 
them. 

I  have  taken  special  pains  since  the  Loclge-Colley 
controversy  to  acquaint  myself  with  the  bona  fides 
of  the  Crewe  Circle,  and  of  the  mediumship  of  three 
of  its  members,  and  the  excellent  character  which  all 
bear.  I  have  therefore  all  the  more  pleasure  in  giving 
the  above  case  reported  by  Mr.  Walker. 


PSYCHOGRAPIIY 


379 


Since  the  foregoing  psychograph  was  sent  me  (the 
meaning  of  which  at  the  time  was  not  clear  to  Mr.  W. 
Walker,  except  that  the  evidence  of  its  genuineness 
was  remarkably  complete)  I  obtained  the  following 
on  15th  January,  1911  : — 

Dear  Mr.  Coates, — When  I  last  wrote  I  said  “At 
present  it  is  cryptic  to  me.”  Now  the  part  of  the 
message,  “Our  advice  to  you  at  present  is  to  hear 
both  sides  lest  you  make  a  mistake  and  be  misjudged. 
Let  the  opponent  give  way  to  the  law  and  be  faithful 
to  the  end,”  has  become  clearer  to  me: — 

A  question  concerning  a  boundary  fence  to  prop¬ 
erty  had  been  put  into  my  hands  to  see  it  through. 

I  had  the  matter  in  correspondence  at  the  time  the 
message  was  given  to  me.  However,  the  owner,  who 
is  a  very  old  person,  having  been  annoyed  by  trespass, 
ordered  a  fence  to  be  put  up,  and  it  was  completed. 

I  was  not  made  aware  of  this  until  notice  had  been 
given  by  the  adjoining  owners  to  remove  a  portion 
of  the  fence,  which  is  said  to  be  on  their  land.  On  my 
visiting  the  site,  I  found  it  necessary  to  see  the  other 
side  and  to  hear  their  version,  as  directed  in  the  mes¬ 
sage.  After  fully  considering  the  various  points 
raised,  it  was  decided  to  take  this  fence  down  and 
“give  way  to  the  law.” 

This  I  consider  has  a  just  bearing  upon  the  case. 
It  shows  the  spirit  friends  who  gave  me  the  message 
knew  of  the  case,  and  knew  how  it  stood,  as  well  as 
knowing  what  would  follow,  of  which  I  at  the  time 
was  not  only  ignorant,  but  our  friends  at  Crewe  could 
not  have  known. 

Yours  faithfully, 

Buxton.  W.  Walker. 

And  with  this  I  conclude — not  from  want  of  ma¬ 
terial,  but  want  of  space — my  case  for  psychography. 


380  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


In  the  foregoing  eases  the  plates  were  either  in  the 
usual  photographic  slide,  or  wrapped  up  in  light¬ 
proof  material,  and  were  held  between  the  palms  of 
the  hands  of  experimenters  and  psychics.  In  some 
cases  the  corners  of  the  packet  containing  the  plate  or 
plates  were  held  only.  We  reach  another  point,  and 
that  is :  we  infer  that  there  comes  from  the  hands  of 
the  psychic  and  experimenter  an  aura  or  magnetism, 
which  affects  the  plates,  and  prepares  them  for  the 
operations  of  the  unknown— but  actinic — light.  With¬ 
out  repeating  the  evidence  given  in  “Human  Mag¬ 
netism”  and  “Seeing  the  Invisible,”  it  is  clear  that 
the  plates  can  be  chemically  altered  by  the  radiant 
rays — invisible — which  proceed  from  the  hands  of 
the  experimenter. 

But  admitting  that  it  is  scientifically  demonstrated 
there  are  light  and  others  emanations — of  a  subtle 
and  occult  character — radiating  from  the  human 
body,  or,  as  believed  by  some,  produced  by  spirit 
power  these  would  not  account  for  the  psychic  figures, 
faces  and  written  messages  which  are  obtained.  The 
invisible  light  and  the  nervauric  or  psychic  forces 
must  be  directed  by  intelligence.  Intelligent  mes¬ 
sages  can  only  come  from  intellects  capable  of  send¬ 
ing  them. 

Whose  intelligence  is  operative  in  all  these  cases, 
capable  of  giving  the  features  of  departed  persons,  in¬ 
struction  by  symbols,  and  communications  clearly 
written?  This  question  is  not  one  readily  answered. 
But  as  we  have  seen  that  many  psychic  pictures  have 
actually  come  in  response  to  the  sitter’s  thoughts; 
have  come  in  fulfilment  of  promises  made — through 
psychics — from  those  who  are  no  longer  clothed  in 
the  flesh,  it  is  a  reasonable  deduction  that  their 
thoughts,  too,  were  operative,  if  not  the  actual  cause 
of  psychic  results. 

In  the  final  analysis  it  is  thought-power,  and  that 
only,  which  is  operative,  and  thought  suggests  the 
thinker.  Such  is  the  power  of  thought — not  ordinary 


PSYCHOGRAPH  Y 


381 


every-day  thoughts,  but  thought  acting  subcon¬ 
sciously — it  is  not  only  impressed,  and  our  lives  for 
good  and  ill  affected  thereby,  but  the  photographic 
plates  are  also  made  the  means  of  its  transmission ; 
psychography,  as  well  as  spirit  photography,  present¬ 
ing  distinct  evidence  for  the  claim  that  “Intelligences 
in  the  Invisible  are  still  operative  in  this  life.”  We 
know  that  our  thoughts — under  certain  conditions — 
have  not  only  psychic,  but  motor  force.  The  facts  of 
psychology  demand  examination,  and  the  subject  is 
here  tentatively  submitted  for  consideration,  as  the 
whole  throws  an  important  side-light  not  only  on 
Telepathy,  psychic  force,  but  on  the  physical  phe¬ 
nomena  of  Modern  Spiritualism. 


CHAPTER  XVII 


CONCLUDING  OBSERVATIONS 

MOST  FAVOURABLE  CONDITIONS  FOR  PSYCHIC  PHOTOG¬ 
RAPHY 

In  bringing  my  notes  on  Spirit  Photography  to  a 
elose,  I  think  it  appropriate  to  deal  1st  with  the  best 
conditions  under  which  a  psychic  picture  can  he  ob¬ 
tained  and  2nd  to  refer  to  “experts”  and  their 
methods. 

For  a  psychic  photograph  taken  under  best 
possible  conditions.  Subject  Elsie  Reynolds,  a 
noted  American  materialising  medium — one  giv¬ 
ing  off  fine  auretic  conditions.  Wyllie  in  vigorous 
health  and  harmonising  power.  Weather  condi¬ 
tions  of  the  finest ;  and  lastly,  the  Spirit  Intelli¬ 
gences  capable  of  using  their  powers  effectively. 

I  give  the  photograph  as  a  challenge  to  experts. 

Mr.  Wyllie  often  assured  me  that  when  lie  and  the 
weather  were  in  good  condition,  he  was  frequently 
more  successful  in  getting  identifiable  pictures  from 
a  lock  of  hair  than  with  the  living  subject,  as  the  latter 
was  too  often  excited,  over-anxious,  or  perhaps  sus¬ 
picious.  There  was  something  lacking — Harmony. 


382 


CONCLUDING  OBSERVATIONS 


383 


What  then  appear  to  be  the  best  conditions  revealed 
by  actual  experimentation?  These  are  four  in  num- 


l’ig.  90.  For  a  psychic  photograph  taken  under  best  possible 
conditions.  Subject  Elsie  Reynolds,  a  noted  American 
materializing  medium — one  giving  off  fine  auretic  condi¬ 
tions.  Wyllie  in  vigorous  health  and  harmonizing  power. 
Weather  conditions  of  the  finest;  and  lastly,  the  Spirit 
Intelligences  capable  of  using  their  powers  effectively.  I 
give  the  photograph  as  a  challenge  to  experts. 


384  PHOTOGRAPHING  TUB  INVISIBLE 


her,  and  there  are  a  few  accessories  which  seem  to  be 
helpful  in  obtaining  psychic  photographs: 

1st.  The  first  essential  is  the  condition  of  the  sitter. 
In  contradiction  to  the  idea  that  psychic  photographs 
are  crystallisations  of  thought  and  the  sitter  should 
desire  earnestly  for  the  appearance  of  some  special 
person  or  relative.  This  is  the  very  attitude  to  avoid 
at  the  time  of  sitting.  The  sitter  should  not  have  the 
mind  fixed  on  any  special  person,  and  should  avoid 
states  of  anxiety  and  perturbation.  For  instance,  a 
widow  who  has  lost  a  loved  life  companion,  a  mother 
a  child,  and  being  anxious  to  have  a  portrait  of  hus¬ 
band  or  child,  will,  in  consequence,  bring  undesirable 
conditions  with  them.  Calm,  pleasant,  cheerful,  non- 
anxious  or  lion-excited  state  is  the  best  possible  atti¬ 
tude  of  mind  for  Spirit  Photography.  This  calm, 
passive  condition  makes  for  harmony.  The  ultra 
skeptic  and  the  person  who  views  each  action  of  the 
photographer  with  suspicion  will  also  make  a  bad  sit¬ 
ter.  These  two  aspects — that  of  anxious,  suffering 
mourners,  and  the  mental  attitude  of  the  antagonistic 
skeptic — are  alike  unfavorable.  Let  it  be  ‘at  once 
pointed  out  that  an  equable  state  of  mind,  a  willing¬ 
ness  to  take  what  comes,  and  sitting  as  if  for  an  ordi¬ 
nary  photograph,  the  sitter  will  throw  off  the  best 
possible  psychic  and  nervauric  conditions,  which  will 
blend  with  that  of  the  sensitive-operator.  Owing  to 
the  natural  excitement  which  overtakes  many  at  the 
first  sitting,  “repeat  sittings”  are  desirable  as  in  sub¬ 
sequent  seances  there  is  less  mental  disturbance' and 


CONCLUDING  observations 


385 


more  harmony  between  sitter  and  sensitive.  To  this 
may  be  added  a  hint  about  accessories.  Men  gener¬ 
ally  dress  in  dark  clothes.  This  is  favourable  for 
showing  up  faces  or  other  “extras”  which  might  ap¬ 
pear.  Ladies  like  to  be  well  dressed,  wearing  light 
blouses,  using  costumes  and  ornaments  which  are 
meant  to  enhance  personal  appearance.  This  is  all 
right  in  its  place,  but  for  spirit  photography  it  is  un¬ 
desirable.  A  simple  dark  dress  or  blouse — not  silk 
which  shines — without  ornaments,  will  serve  the  pur¬ 
pose.  If  “extras”  appear,  as  they  often  do,  they  will 
have  a  dark  background  in  the  lady’s  dress  to  show 
up  the  high  lights.  So  far,  for  the  first  essential  and 
accessories.  With  Mr.  Wyllie,  most  of  the  psychic  pic¬ 
tures,  &c.,  appear  over  the  vital  organs  of  the  sitter. 

2nd.  The  next  essential  is  the  condition  of  the  sen¬ 
sitive-photographer.  (That  a  medium  is  necessary 
is  borne  out  by  the  fact  that  there  are  several  thou¬ 
sand  photographers  in  Great  Britain  alone,  and  prob¬ 
ably  there  are  not  five  who  are  able  to  obtain  these 
photographs.  Such  persons  are  endowed  with  certain 
faculties  which  the  others  do  not  possess.)  The  sensi¬ 
tive  requires  to  be  in  a  fair  state  of  health  and  in  an 
equable  state  of  mind,  and  if  these  are  disturbed  from 
any  cause — poverty,  anxiety  or  harassment,  unsuit¬ 
able  environment  for  his  work,  inconsiderate  and 
thoughtless  treatment  by  the  self-important — then, 
obstacles  are  placed  in  the  way  of  successful  results. 
It  is  also  desirable  that  the  sensitive’s  camera  should 
be  the  one  employed — longer  in  use  the  better.  Be- 


386  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


ing  well  charged  with  his  nervaura,  or  magnetism, 
and  whatever  other  influences  which  have  been  drawn 
thereto,  all  manipulations  in  the  first  instance  should 
be  done  by  the  sensitive  photographer,  whatever  ar¬ 
rangements  may  be  made  subsequently  by  mutual 
consent,  between  sitter  and  medium. 

3rd.  The  next  essential  is  good  atmospheric  condi¬ 
tions.  These  cannot  be  so  readily  controlled  or  de¬ 
fined.  But  extremes  of  heat  and  cold,  violent  storms, 
thundery  weather,  fogs  and  mists  which  rise  from  the 
ground  after  heavy  rains,  not  only  act  unfavourably 
on  the  sitter  and  the  medium,  but  are  objectionable 
as  far  as  photography  itself  is  concerned.  All  atmos¬ 
pheric  conditions  otherwise,  which  are  fairly  clear, 
pleasant  or  tolerable,  are  helpful.  As  to  accessories,  a 
well  lit  room,  of  comfortable  temperature,  in  which 
sittings  can  be  held,  a  dark  closet  supplied  with  run¬ 
ning  water.  Also  if  the  medium’s  sleeping  apartments 
and  living  rooms  are  convenient  to  the  foregoing,  so 
much  the  better  for  psychical  results. 

4th  and  last  essential,  but  first  in  order  of  impor¬ 
tance  are  the  Unseen  Intelligences  and  the  x  or  un¬ 
known  forces  which  operate  through  the  medium  and 
in  conjunction  with  the  sitter.  Whatever  these  are, 
be  they  intelligent  beings,  human  but  discarnate,  who 
indicate  their  presence  by  raps,  lights  and  other  modes 
directing  the  medium  or  sensitive,  or  forces  emanat¬ 
ing  from  the  medium,  spirits  or  both,  neither  I  nor 
anyone  else  can  positively  say.  What  we  really  do 
know  is  this,  that  there  are  Intelligences  at  work,  that 


CONCLUDING  OBSERVATIONS 


387 


the  light  that  produces  the  psychic  pictures,  signs,  sym¬ 
bols  and  portraits,  identifiable  or  not,  is  not  the  ordi¬ 
nary  light  by  which  the  embodied  sitter  is  taken.  It 
is  conjectured  that  there  are  spirit  photographers  and 
chemists  on  the  other  side,  using  not  only  the  unknown 
x  forces  on  their  side,  but  supplying  others.  It  may 
be  only  conjecture,  but  it  is  a  reasonable  hypothesis 
to  go  on  with.  As  to  the  fourth  essential,  no  psychic 
photograph  can  be  taken  without  its  co-operation. 

To  recapitulate,  the  four  essentials  for  psychic  pho¬ 
tography  are :  The  condition  of  the  sitter,  who  should 
present  a  calm,  passive,  cheerful  attitude,  and  in  this 
way  throw  off  suitable  personal  magnetism ;  persons 
who  are  over-anxious,  in  pain,  or  suffering  from  seri¬ 
ous  ill-health,  and  skeptics  who  hinder,  persons  and 
mediums  who  expect  and  demand  too  much,  do  not 
furnish  what  is  required.  Secondly,  the  medium 
should  be  in  a  non-harassed  condition,  and  be  able  to 
give  off  undisturbed  magnetic  vibrations.  Thirdly, 
atmospheric  and  climatic  conditions  should  be  free 
from  disagreeable  extremes.  And  fourth,  the  x  forces 
and  Spirit  Intelligences  should  have  their  condi¬ 
tions,  as  far  as  we  understand  them,  accepted.  The 
latter  can  be  helped  or  hindered,  conciliated  or  re¬ 
pelled  by  the  attitude  of  the  sitters,  the  medium,  or  by 
the  state  of  the  weather.  All  these  essentials  must 
blend  harmoniously  before  a  psychic  effect  or  picture 
can  be  obtained,  and  most  assuredly  be  present  in  all 
cases  when  an  identifiable  portrait  has  been  secured. 
I  have  now  pointed  out  the  favourable  conditions  and 


388  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


indirectly  the  unfavourable,  but  a  few  direct  words 
concerning  the  expert  may  be  useful. 

“The  Expert”  is  sometimes  a  photographer  and  as 
frequently  not.  In  the  majority  of  cases  he  claims  to 
be  a  Spiritualist  actuated  by  the  highest  motives,  and 
Ids  main  object  is  to  rid  the  movement  of  persons  who 
indulge  in  fraudulent  practices.  The  persons  sus¬ 
pected  and  banned  by  him  are  usually  physical  me¬ 
diums;  of  these  the  few  photographic  mediums  before 
the  public  are  his  special  aversion.  To  not  under¬ 
stand  is  a  sufficient  reason  for  condemnation.  He 
may  or  may  not  have  had  a  sitting,  possibly  he  has 
had  one.  On  the  strength  of  this,  he  is  prepared  to 
pose  as  an  “expert.”  To  that  sitting  he  brought  his 
doubts  and  suspicions.  When  he  received  his  print, 
there  was  probably  a  face  on  it  he  did  not  recognise  or 
one  which  someone  else  had  already  obtained;  it  may 
have  come  across  the  plate  or  actually  upside  down. 
There  may  have  been  other  “things”  on  it  which  had 
no  meaning  for  him.  The  whole  looked  like  faking 
and  very  badly  done  at  that.  It  became  an  easy  mat¬ 
ter — following  the  line  of  the  least  resistance — to  de¬ 
cide  that  this  photograph  was  produced  by  misplaced 
ingenuity. 

Another  “expert,”  who  knows  seven  different  ways 
of  producing  bogus  spirit  photographs  (but  not  one 
genuine  one)  says  that  almost  anything  can  be  done 
with  a  photographic  plate,  and  what  appears  is  the 
result  of  that  anything* 

*The  host  “Faked  Spirit  Photographs”  which  the  art  of  an 


CONCLUDING  OBSERVATIONS 


389 


Another  suggests  that  there  are  certain  laws  in  pho¬ 
tography  without  which  nothing  can  take  place.  He 
does  not  say  definitely  that  psychic  photography  is 
fraudulent,  but  avers  that  all  sitters  should  be  pho¬ 
tographed  by  two  cameras  and  the  plates  should  be 
independently  developed.  Without  this,  all  so-called 
investigation  of  psychic  photography  is  worse  than 
useless.  This  looks  very  fair  and  very  formidable. 
Judged  by  the  well  known  laws  of  photography,  noth¬ 
ing  can  come  on  the  one  plate  which  does  not  appear 
on  the  other.  This  is  very  plausible  and  is  correct  as 
far  as  ordinary  photography  is  concerned,  but  does 
not  touch  psychic  photography  at  all.  It  leaves  out 
the  four  main  conditions  noted. 

The  blending  of  all  four  in  a  more  or  less  favourable 
state  of  harmony  and  lastly,  but  also  essential,  the 
camera  mostly  used  and  impregnated  with  the  ner- 
vaura  or  magnetism  of  the  medium.  These  factors 
are  either  not  studied  or  overlooked  by  the  “expert.” 

The  sitter  brings — in  addition  to  his  state  of  mind — 

accomplished  photographer  could  produce  are  those  by  Mr. 
R.  Child  Bayley,  the  well  known  author,  editor  and  expert  in 
photography.  These  appeared  in  the  London  Magazine,  Jan., 
1910.  In  the  following  August,  Mr.  Win.  Marriott  gave  a  few 
more,  of  his  best  faking,  but  much  inferior  to  those  of  Mr.  R. 
Child  Bayley.  Comparing  these  best  efforts,  obtained  without 
let  or  hindrance,  with  the  work  say  of  Mr.  Wyllie — taken  im¬ 
promptu — undoubted  portraits  of  persons  he  never  knew — and 
these  faked  absurdities  they  demonstrate  at  once  how  little 
these  noted  experts  know  either  of  Psychic  Photography  or  of 
its  claims.  Their  best  work,  under  their  own  conditions,  fur¬ 
nishes  the  best  repudiation  of  their  own  claims. — J.  C. 


t 


390  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


certain  psychical  entities,  thought  forms,  and  images 
of  departed  persons  liable  to  be  shattered  by  the 
fussy  and  dominant  mannerisms  of  “experts,”  whose 
object  is  not  to  obtain  psychic  photographs  but  to 
demonstrate  a  foregone  theory. 

I  respectfully  maintain  that  the  photographic  plate 
does  faithfully  record  what  is  presented  to  it ;  that  it 
is  an  impartial  witness  on  account  of  its  purely  me¬ 
chanical  processes;  that  the  plates  are  not' subject  to 
either  hallucination,  suggestion  or  auto-suggestion, 
and  so  far  can  be  relied  upon  to  reproduce  whatever 
is  presented— seen  and  unseen  in  light  or  in  dark¬ 
ness — according  to  the  laws  of  photography. 

Opinions  may  be  divided  as  to  the  nature  of  the 
things,  objects  or  persons  chemically  recorded  on  the 
plates;  but  they  are  there  because  something  from 
them — reflected  or  refracted  light — has  been  gath¬ 
ered  up  by  the  lens  and  passed  on  to  the  plate. 
Whether  by  accident  or  intention  the  object  or  sub¬ 
ject  be  there,  its  presence  is  recorded  all  the  same  on 
the  exposed  plate.  This  is  a  simple  statement  of  fact. 
When  we  come  to  psychic  photography — with  or  with¬ 
out  the  camera — we  enter  into  a  region  in  which 
the  ordinary  laws  of  photography  are  not  set  aside, 
but  are  subordinated  to  other  laws — forces  in  opera¬ 
tion — not  at  present  fully  understood.  For  instance, 
visible  objects  and  subjects  have  not  been  photo¬ 
graphed,  of  which  I  have  several  cases ;  whereas  on 
the  other  hand,  that  which  is  invisible — of  no  mate¬ 
rial  substance  and  of  the  nature  and  character  of 


CONCLUDING  OBSERVATIONS 


391 


thought — has  been.  The  operations  which  take  place 
in  psychic  photography  are  not  wholly  chemical  as 
far  as  camera,  lens,  light — plies — and  chemical  results 
are  concerned.  We  have  all  these,  plus  something  else. 
That  something  is  of  the  nature  of  a  nervaura  or 
vital  magnetic  force  emanating  from  a  peculiarly  en¬ 
dowed  individual — the  medium.  This  force — some¬ 
times  called  “fluid” — may  be  enhanced  by  the  pres¬ 
ence  of  sitters  similarly  affected.  Under  these  cir¬ 
cumstances  the  films  are  affected  by  ordinary  light, 
and  by  a  light  emanating  from  the  unseen  object.  By 
this  invisible  light  photographic  plates — both  in  and 
out  of  the  camera — are  impressed  with  images,  sym¬ 
bols,  reproductions  of  things  material,  and  in  many 
cases  with  the  faces  and  forms  of  living  persons— not 
visible — and  by  portraits  of  the  departed,  but  only 
in  the  presence  of  a  medium,  specially  gifted,  and 
never  otherwise. 

Anyone  who  has  taken  pains  to  study  the  late  Mr. 
J.  Traill  Taylor’s  experimentations  with  two  photo¬ 
graphic  medium^,  of  whom  the  late  Mr.  David  Du- 
guid  was  one,  will  find  abundant  material  for  reflec¬ 
tion.  In  the  presence  of  Mr.  Duguid — with  whom  Mr. 
Taylor  was  in  friendly  sympathy — results  were  ob¬ 
tained  OUTWITII  all  the  known  laws  of  photography. 
I  have  had  similar  experiences  with  Mr.  Edward 
Wvll  ie.  Mr.  W.  Walker,  of  Buxton,  reported  simi¬ 
lar  cases  obtained  at  Crewe  recently.  But  I  wish  to 
emphasise  the  results  obtained  through  the  medium- 
ship  of  Mr.  Duguid  by  Mr.  J.  Traill  Taylor.  Tlmse 


392  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


results  have  been  condemned  by  “experts,”  ignorant 
of  all  the  facts,  as  fraudulent.  This  has  always  been 
the  case,  where  experts  “opinionate”  without  having 
all  the  facts  before  them.  The  most,  so  pronounced, 
outrageously  fraudulently-looking  ‘  ‘  extras,  ’  ’  were 
genuinely  produced.  If  not  so,  the  evidence  of  the 
then  highest  authority  in  the  photographic  world, 
i.  e.,  Mr.  J.  Traill  Taylor,  and  of  competent  witnesses, 
must  stand  for  naught  with  these  “experts,”  who 
assume  to  know  but  do  not  understand,  and  many  of 
whom  have  not  seen,  much  less  carefully  investigated 
that  which  they  so  readily  declare  to  be  fraudulent. 

In  psychic  or  occult  photography  I  do  not  assume 
that  spirits  can  be  photographed.  I  am  content  to  ad¬ 
mit,  on  the  strength  of  the  evidence  I  have  collected 
and  obtained  at  first  hand,  that  some  things  are  pro¬ 
duced  by  Intelligences  in  the  Invisible.  This  only 
happens  when  the  mechanical,  chemical  and  other 
processes  of  photographic  procedure  are  supplemented 
by  appropriate  mediumship — and  never  without  it. 
When  the  camera  is  not  employed  the  plates  are  af¬ 
fected  by  invisible  light,  heat  and  other  unknown 
forces  emanating  from  mediumistic  persons,  plus 
something  which  proceeds  from  Spirits  said  to  operate 
within  the  sub-conscious  self  or  selves  of  the  mediums. 
“The  extras,”  obtained  through  camera  and  the 
“things”  impressed  which  appeared  on  plates  held 
in  the  hand  never  appear  without  the  presence  of 
suitable  media. 

This  brings  me  to  the  point  overlooked  by  those  who 


CONCLUDING  OBSERVATIONS 


393 


suggest  that  for  scientific  investigation  of  photo¬ 
graphic  work  of  this  description,  it  should  be  a  sine 
que  non  that  in  every  experiment  there  be  at  least 
two  cameras,  and  that  the  plates  exposed  in  these  be 
immediately  and  independently  developed.  I  will  ad¬ 
mit  that  it  is  not  of  much  importance  who  develops 
the  plates.  But  why  two  cameras  and  not  half-a- 
dozen,  and  each  with  a  self-important  operator  de¬ 
liberately  antagonising  the  psychic  effort. 

Mr.  J.  Traill  Taylor  employed  a  stereoscopic  cam¬ 
era,  which  he  operated  himself,  but  not  excluding  the 
presence  of  Mr.  Duguid  or  the  presence  of  sympa¬ 
thetic  and  intelligent  witnesses  whose  object  was  to 
get  at  the  truth  and  not  to  discover  fraud.  Mr.  Du¬ 
guid  was  treated  as  a  medium  should  be,  as  a  man,  a 
friend,  and  not  as  a  suspect,  which  would  be  to  de¬ 
stroy  the  harmony  essential  to  obtain  successful  re¬ 
sults.  Under  careful  testing,  hundreds  of  “extras” 
were  obtained,  but  not  one  identifiable  picture  of  a 
departed.  Psychic  photography  was  established  be¬ 
cause  the  medium  was  not  ignored.  Experts  do  so 
completely.  I  can  guarantee  that  they  can  experi¬ 
ment  day  after  day,  year  after  year,  with  two  or  more 
cameras ;  develop  the  plates  independently,  in  full 
distrust  or  in  accord  with  one  another  and  succeed  in 
obtaining — nothing. 

With  a  suitable  psychic,  properly  treated  and  with 
whom  harmonious  relations  have  been  set  up,  it  is 
probable,  as  with  the  Taylor-Duguid  experiments, 
something  would  be  obtained  and  that  in  defiance  of 
the  very  laws  of  photography  so  much  talked  about. 


394  PHOTOGRAPHING  THE  INVISIBLE 


The  sine  qua  non-  is  not  two  cameras  and  independ¬ 
ent  development,  but  an  identifiable  portrait  of  a  de¬ 
parted  obtained  under  satisfactory  and  harmonious 
conditions. 

Never  in  the  history  of  psychic  photography  has  an 
identifiable  portrait  of  a  departed  been  obtained  as 
the  result  of  this  so-called  scientific  investigation  with 
one  camera  or  several,  but  because  of  the  presence  of 
a  vitally  vigorous  and  sufficiently  imperturbed  me¬ 
dium,  whom  the  Intelligences  in  the  Invisible  were 
able  to  use  and  with  whom  the  subjects  were  in  har¬ 
mony. 

Expert  photographers,  scientific  investigators,  and 
the  would-be  dabblers,  who  claim  to  be  Experts,  start 
on  the  wrong  basis  in  assuming  that  this  matter  can 
be  settled  on  the  ordinary  lines  of  practical  photo¬ 
graphy,  ignoring  and  condemning  mediumship  with¬ 
out  which  psychic  photography  is  impossible. 

Psychic  photography  is  a  phase  of  physical  phe¬ 
nomena.  The  mediums  for  this  phase  are  very  rare 
and  are  treated  by  these  expert  Spiritualists  with  sus¬ 
picion.  Physical  phenomena  are  becoming  non-exist¬ 
ent  through  the  treatment  of  mediums  by  “Experts.” 
It  would  be  much  wiser,  in  my  opinion,  to  patiently 
study  mediumship  and  co-operate  with  the  Intelli¬ 
gences  controlling  them  and  in  this  way  obtain  the 
better  results.  Then  the  phenomena  presented  would 
bring  their  own  best  evidences.  This  has  ever  been 
the  experience  of  those  who  have  gone  thoroughly  into 
the  matter. 


Finis. 


